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Our History

HOW IT ALL STARTED

If it wasn't for AIESEC this project would never have happened! 

 

Remember those images from the AIESEC history and world issues ppts?


I started Uni almost completely ignorant of the issues around the world but from day one of joining AIESEC and though my 6 active years in AIESEC, from LC member in Australia to MC member in Thailand, I was always moved by those images, even later when I was writing and running the sessions (the big pictures ones were always my favorite).


I joined AIESEC in Australia, 1999, and remember one I must of seen a hundred times of a little girl maybe 4 years old working an outdoor brick production factory. Child Labour...

Now in 2008, 3 years after finishing AIESEC I've headed for a future that involves ending that reality for as many children as possible.

 

 

"My main idea was to try and help the children I had befriended to have proper educations and eventually access some of the opportunities I have had. So I simply put two and two together and decided to try and help the parents or families earn money so that the children no longer needed to beg."

 

You can find the people that worked with me and co-founded the project below. As the project started becoming more succesful, more and more support came from volunteers. A lot of them are AIESEC alumni and are actively supporting today.

 

Co-Founders

 

Andrea Messmer - original Project Manager, now Manager of Schools for Cambodian Children in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Jay Laymay - Journalist in Bangkok and high school friend

Leigh Mitchell - now with World Vision in East Timor

 

 

Volunteers

 

Based in Australia:

Myself, David Bacon (LCP 2003, MC Thailand 2004)

Kevin Chan (LC EB, PBOX Team Leader 2001, Vibe projects - 21TNS, $80,000 sponsorship)

Richie Khoo (LC EB 1998 - ViBE Project Architect 2000)

Phil Khoo (LC Member 1999)

Melissa Willoughby (our LCP 1999-2000)

Lauren Waller (Current LC EB)

Lucy Chan (LC EB 2001)

 

Based in Singapore and China

Brenda Schroeder - (Canada, MC Italy 2000 and AI 2002-2004) based in Singapore

Nicoline du Mee - (Dutch LC EB 2001 and MC Netherlands 2002) based in China.

 

More information on our partners and supporters you can find in the Our Partners section.

 

Learn more about our approach and see the families that are participants of the program.