The Lighthouse Club has helped dozens of young Cambodians go on to enjoy rewarding careers in construction – and it is looking to transform even more lives.

In its 11th year of providing charitable assistance in the construction sector, the Lighthouse Club Cambodia enjoyed a record fundraising event at Royal Cambodia Phnom Penh Golf Club on February 13.

more than 60 players took part in the 6th Annual Charity Golf Day, making this year the largest event so far, with the money raised set to support 10 students through a year of construction-related education, covering tuition and living costs.

Started in the UK in 1956, the Lighthouse Club charitable organisation has expanded to more than 30 branches across the world. The Phnom Penh branch was established in 2010 and now has more than 100 members.

Since its inception, the principal aims of the club have been to support less well-off young Cambodians through education, help injured construction workers and promote good fellowship and cooperation among its members, said Lighthouse co-chairman Kerr Thomson.

“The Lighthouse Club Cambodia has now financially supported more than 50 students who have either completed or are currently studying for their university degrees in construction-related subjects. All have gone on to gain employment within the construction industry.

“We have also provided financial assistance to the families of a number of construction workers who have been badly injured on building sites.

“The Lighthouse Club Cambodia’s funds come from events such as the Annual Golf Day and networking evenings. These also provide a great opportunity for members of the construction and related industries in Cambodia to further their business connections and contacts.

“The club would like to thank the many sponsors of this event, including Evermore – the main event sponsor – Chip Mong/Khmer Beverages, Hongkong Land, Knight Frank, COVA, Soksiphana and Associates, Coldwell Banker, CBRE and many more,” Thomson said.

Chhom Chhy, from Preah Vihear Province – who studied Electrical Engineering at the National Technical Training Institute (NTTI) – is one such young Cambodian now enjoying a rewarding career in construction thanks to Lighthouse Club Cambodia.

“I highly appreciate the support I received from the Lighthouse Club that helped me for the duration of my university studies, assisting me with the payment of my tuition fees and providing a monthly living allowance. Now I work at COVA Thinking as an electrical engineer.

“Without Lighthouse Club support I would not have been able to continue with my studies, and I would probably now be working on the farm in my homeland with my family.

“I hope that the Lighthouse Club will be able to continue supporting underprivileged students so they, like me, will have the opportunity to continue their university studies,” the 26 year-old said.

The Lighthouse Club Cambodia Annual Golf Day attracted players from many major entities in the Cambodian construction sector, such as Michael Freeman, vice-president contracting at innovative engineering solutions provider Comin Khmere, which sponsored the first hole.

“Comin Khmere has been in Cambodia for some 30 years, and we have sponsored the Lighthouse Club Golf Day every year since the first back in 2014.

“We have sponsored a variety of Lighthouse events, and we are happy to associate our brand with the type of work Lighthouse carries out in the sector – trying to improve industry standards, improve education and giving more young Cambodian people access to entering the construction industry as engineers and architects, for example.

“We place a big focus on supporting young people through education to enter the construction industry. We do a lot of internship programmes and work with all the training schools, so it is natural that we would support Lighthouse Club – plus I’m a keen golfer!

“We take on engineers sponsored by Lighthouse as it is part of the Comin ethos to bring more and more Cambodians into our organisation as the Kingdom develops,” Freeman said.

And Lighthouse events manager Brenden McNally said Lighthouse was eager to transform the lives of even more less well-off young Cambodians.

“All of our supported students have successfully completed their construction-related degrees, and all have gone on to gain employment within the construction industry.

“We currently have a number of former students working at international construction firms based in Cambodia. We have two who are presently working for COVA, the leading multi-disciplinary design engineering and quantity surveying and project management consultancy, for example.

“We are looking at also providing assistance for students who wish to study vocational courses as well as university degrees.

“And while we are pleased with what we have achieved in such a short time, we really want more people to take advantage of the educational support we provide.

“Contacting Lighthouse Club Cambodia will be the first step towards a rewarding career in construction,” McNally said.

Students interested in joining the Lighthouse Club Cambodia’s scholarship programme, or individuals or companies who would like to join Lighthouse and help develop the future of the Kingdom’s construction sector, should contact: [email protected].