Cambodia & Solidarity: Shanty Town Spirit officially launches the Rose Club

After celebrating its tenth anniversary last year, Ermine Norodom's Shanty Town Spirit association is officially launching the Rose Club with the aim of providing financial support to the association and expanding its projects, thanks to its partners.

Ermine Norodom and Prince Norodom Narithipong

It was an evening that brought together nearly a hundred people on the top floor of the Highground Skybar Amass Tower, where the watchwords of the event were benevolence, sharing and recognition.

The Rose Club: solidarity and commitment around Shanty Town Spirit

Initially set up in January this year, the Rose Club is a way for the association to secure its projects financially over the longer term.

By choosing Shanty Town as its ‘CSO’ (Cooperation Committee for Cambodia), these companies commit to supporting the association financially or through donations in kind to help it carry out its projects and increase the positive impact of each of them.

Ermine Norodom giving personalised candles to members of the Rose Club

In fact, it goes well beyond philanthropy, as members exchange ideas with each other at events such as networking evenings, as well as benefiting from products and advantages such as discounts.

De-Rose: A social enterprise for the communities of Boeung Trabek

It is in Ermine Norodom's workshop that De-Rose, a social enterprise specialising in the manufacture of candles, has been coming to life for two years now.

Friends of the President and members of the Rose Club

Made with passion and from recycled glass by Cambodian communities from the poorest backgrounds, these scented soy candles enable them to carry out a professional activity and receive income from sales. By partnering with inspiring and committed members of its community, Shanty Town Spirit supports these poor communities by helping them to develop professionally through work in exchange for an income.

The vision of Shanty Town Spirit

Today, the association wants to help even more and offer new opportunities to families in the Boeung Trabek shanty town, particularly in the areas of health, education and the programming of activities and outings.

Indeed, it is by working with its partners that the association is enabling members of the Boeung Trabek communities to gain access to university, work opportunities and training courses opening doors to their professional future and promoting independence.

After helping two or even three families when it was first set up, over 300 families from the Boeung Trabek shanty town in Phnom Penh have been and are being supported by Ermine Norodom, Prince Norodom Narithipong, their team of volunteers and the members of the Rose Club.

So, with the aim of cooperating with 100 members by the end of the year, the Rose Club of the Shanty Town Spirit association aspires to solidarity, exchanges and family spirit.