The globally active Geberit Group is the European market leader for sanitary products and will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2024. For Geberit, the company’s social responsibility in the context of the promotion of trainees has been a cornerstone 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 for the benefit of social institutions in poorer countries. Geberit provides the material and the learners 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 selects a project cooperation partner only once. After the successful renovation of the Wat Roka and Arranh Reangsey primary schools 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 Director, and Vreni Schweizer, HR Business Partner, ten Geberit trainees built installations in the Svay Thom Primary and Secondary School, which trains more than 1800 students over nine grades: 10 toilets and 5 urinals. In cooperation with construction companies, two hand washing stations and 5 new classrooms were also built. In addition, the Geberit and Kamboo teams jointly conducted a comprehensive, intensive hygiene workshop that provided ‘best practices’ for washing hands with soap and using the toothbrush. In addition to the hard (but accompanied by great passion and a lot of fun) work experience, the young trainees from Jona/Rapperswil also learned a lot about 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 thriving! School enrolment rates are rising and absenteeism rates are decreasing. 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 step up 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 very happy to welcome the Geberit team to Cambodia and greet them from the bottom of our hearts with the greeting that is so familiar here: « Akun »!
