A group of enthusiastic volunteers from Maltese-owned EC English Language Centres recently returned from an inspiring 10-day mission in Ban Houy, Cambodia, as part of the organisation's latest Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.

Early last year, EC partnered with the respected education charity, United World Schools (UWS), to bring fresh water and education to the 85-family village as part of a wider CSR plan to improve the prospects of Cambodian children who would not otherwise have access to the resources they need to realise their full potential. Commenting on the team's return, EC executive chairman, Andrew Mangion, said: It warms the heart to see this level of enthusiasm among members of the EC family. Working with United World Schools has given us the incredible opportunity to actually get involved with the charity and work hand in hand with the community to help bring about a better future for those who call Ban Houy their home. I'm immensely proud of the team, and of the organisation as a whole, who've shown their unwavering support for this initiative across the board.

The team of EC volunteers spent most of their time teaching, talking to the families about education, encouraging student uptake, and demonstrating a range of teaching methods that locally-based instructors could use at the new school. Every member of the team cherished their time in Cambodia, and built a strong rapport with the local community. Commenting on this special relationship, UK Talent and Global CSR manager, Daniel Woodard said: When we left some of the teachers were crying and the kids were crying. It was tough to see the impact on them - they were genuinely sad to see us go. There was such a clear sense of achievement, of having done something really special. I just thought 'Wow, we've done it'. I don't think any of us realised the impact we would have; pretty much the whole village turned out to see us off."

In an interview with English UK, Mr Woodard, who led the initiative, also spoke about the importance of not just promoting CSR initiatives, but also becoming actively involved as well: "We want it to be hands-on: we fund the school from our CSR budget but we also want people to get involved and raise money that we can then match via our fund-raising policy, giving them ownership and a sense of involvement and purpose."

Asked about plans for EC's future in Cambodia, Mr Woodard said that he hopes to encourage regular fund-raisers, as well as create and organise a scholarship programme for those Cambodian UWS staff members who would like to improve their own English and refine their teaching methods to continue educating children in Cambodia, with plans for annual volunteer trips also in discussion.