Profile of Cambodia Okinawa Friendship Association (COFA)

(as of June 26, 2007)

1) Date of Establishment:

May 1, 1990

The address in Okinawa

The Cambodia Okinawa Friendship Association

#2-10-10 Tsuboya, Naha City,

Okinawa Pref. Japan, 902-0065

The address in Cambodia:

House #35, Street 204, Sangkath Toeuk Laak3,

Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh

2) Purpose of the COFA

It aims at promoting friendship between the people of Cambodia and Japan in particular with Okinawa Prefecture through international cooperation in the fields of Medicine, Education, Culture, and others.

3) Undertakings

It started its activity with Eradication of Intestinal Parasites by medical volunteer teams in the areas of Chak Angre, Tuol Roka, and Santa Monica Village from 1998 to 2003. During the campaign, about 8,000 inhabitants were given parasite inspection and treatment.

With expansion of aid from the international donor agencies from Japan, as the top donor, WHO, France and other countries, the small scale cooperation from NGO organizations gradually faded away to give the role to the Governmental aid programs.

In 2003, COFA decided to turn it’s objective to educational cooperation and launched the COFA Scholarship Program which aims at assisting high-school students to complete their high school education in order to give them chances to pursue the possibilities of becoming useful man-power to the society in future.

4) COFA Scholarship Program

The Program started in 2005. Ten students from five Secondary Schools in Kandal, Kampng Spoue, and Takeo Provinces are selected every year, based on school record and economical situation of the family. The amount of the scholarship given to each student is $70 per year and will be continued for 3 years until they finish the high-school education. The number of the students will reach 30 this year (2007).  At the moment COFA scholarship students reach to 41 at high school and 4 students at University (year 2009). The fund is made up with donations from individual goodwill people in Japan.

The Scholarship Program support to poor Cambodian students who are living in the rural area to get higher education.

Cambodia Okinawa Friendship Association (COFA) is non-profit organization. The main task of COFA  is support to the poor Cambodian students to get higher and proper education so that they will be able to build their own future and  Cambodian society . In order to do with close communcation between COFA coordinator and scholarship Students the COFA staff have to do the students home visit and school visit after 3 or 4 months from the selection day as below picture show.

As the starting point to support the scholarship to poor students with the main purpose is to prevent them quit school after they passed the secondary school exam and willing too much to improve their knowledge at high school,  but according to the family economic condition can not support their future school time, so they have to abandon their school life  to find the job at the city or other job migration to other place. With this point COFA so much care and pay attention by strongly support their continuing school life till graduate high school as maximum and could be continue to University if there is any fund support from charity or donation people.

As the picture show the interviewing in process to select the COFA scholarship students from Borseth High School.