Geberit and Kamboo Project complete the ‘Geberit Social Project 2024’ on time and on budget
The globally active Geberit Group is the European market leader for sanitary products and will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2024. For Geberit, corporate social responsibility has been a cornerstone of apprentice development for a decade and a half. Every year since 2008, Geberit apprentices have had the opportunity to demonstrate their team spirit, their willingness to learn and the skills they have acquired in a project to benefit social institutions in poorer countries. Geberit provides the material and the apprentices install it with technical support. Many of them are working on a construction site for the first time as part of the social project.
Normally, Geberit only selects a project cooperation partner once. After the successful renovation of Wat Roka and Arranh Reangsey elementary school as part of the “Geberit Social Project 2019”, Kamboo Projected is very proud to have been selected once again for this year’s edition.
Under the supervision of Remo Zwick, Technical Manager, and Vreni Schweizer, HR Business Partner, ten Geberit apprentices built installations in the Svay Thom primary and secondary school, which educates more than 1,800 pupils across nine grades: 10 toilets and 5 urinals. In cooperation with construction companies, two hand-washing stations and five new classrooms were also built. In addition, the Geberit and Kamboo teams jointly conducted a comprehensive, intensive hygiene workshop that taught ‘best practices’ for washing hands with soap and using a toothbrush. In addition to the hard (but passionate and fun) work experience, the young apprentices from Jona/Rapperswil also learned a lot about the local history and culture – and returned home after two weeks with wonderful memories.
We at Kamboo Project have been working with the management of the Svay Thom School since 2018. Mutual trust has grown over the years – and will continue to grow after this great leap forward. The school is flourishing! Enrolment rates are rising and absenteeism rates are falling. Early marriages of girls are on the decline, local know-how on hygiene and waste management is on the rise! With this important capacity expansion, the school can continue its sustainable strategy. Our local team will increase monitoring activities to ensure that the sanitation facilities rehabilitated by Geberit will continue to serve thousands of children for many years to come. We at Kamboo Project were delighted to welcome the Geberit team to Cambodia and greet them wholeheartedly with the familiar greeting: “Som Akun”!
