In one of the world’s poorest countries, one man is doing his best to make a difference.
Armadale man Ngee Suan flew to Cambodia this month on a mission to help impoverished schools and children in the south Asian country, even taking along a prosthetic arm that he designed and built himself.
Mr Suan, originally from Laos, regularly visits Cambodia to support struggling communities and takes what he can with him in his suitcases.
A quiet man, Mr Suan has through his own fundraising efforts over the years been able to provide Cambodian children with gifts including clothing and toys.
In a country where only 64 per cent of children reach year five, Mr Suan has recently overseen the refurbishment of dilapidated classrooms and the construction of an entirely new concrete school building, complete with rainwater tanks.
Cambodia has a rough history of political turmoil and genocide and in 2017 it was ranked by The Economist Intelligence Unit as one of the least democratic countries in the world.
Also among the poorest countries in the world with a nominal Gross Domestic Product 76 times smaller than Australia, the average Cambodian worker takes home only a couple of hundred Australian dollars a month.
Before leaving for his latest trip, Mr Ngee visited the Armadale Rotary Club to show off a home-made prosthesis he build for a Cambodian primary school girl who only had one arm.
The prosthesis is fitted with a powerful magnet and will allow the young girl to use a knife, fork or spoon and has an attachment for a pen or pencil.
