From Volunteer to Sponsor

When Penny Billingham first heard about Cambodian Children’s Fund, it was from 5,000km away— through her sons’ school in Perth, Australia.

Her young sons were taking part in a fundraising lapathon, and like many parents, Penny watched as a video played, showing the lives their efforts would support.

“I remember thinking how beautiful it was — seeing where the money went,” she says. “It stayed with me.”

Years passed. Life was full — raising three boys and adjusting to life in a new country after moving from the UK.

But the idea of doing something meaningful, something for children growing up without the same opportunities, never quite left her.

Then, at just the right moment, everything aligned.

After years of putting her family first, Penny felt a shift. Her youngest son was leaving home for university, her husband was preparing for retirement, and life was slowing down a little.

“I felt like it was my time,” she says. “We are in such a lucky position. I’ve always wanted to work with disadvantaged children — and this was the moment to do it.”

She took a sabbatical from her role teaching English as a foreign language at the University of Western Australia to volunteer for three months with Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) in Phnom Penh — a country she had never visited before.

At CCF’s Neeson Cripps Academy and Sambok Chab, Penny, 53, volunteered as an English buddy, working with students across Grades 7, 8, and 9.

“When you walk into a classroom here, they are just so happy to see you,” she says. “You can’t really describe that feeling.”

But it wasn’t just about teaching.

It was about connection.

Sitting beside students. Sharing smiles. Adapting lessons in the moment. Learning, just as much as teaching.

“I’ve learned what it feels like to be the one who doesn’t understand the language,” she reflects. “Even just a kind smile — that can make someone feel welcome. That’s something I’ll take back with me to my classroom.”

Penny ran a storytelling project with Grade 8s, encouraging reading through simple stories and using pictures as prompts and visual aids for retelling. One story involving a pirate evolved into a treasure hunt, with Penny hiding clues all over the school for students to find and follow a letter that led to treasure.

Penny, a qualified accountant, retrained as a teacher after moving to Australia with her family 14 years ago.

“I look at the kids and know that if they can get an education, their lives are going to be different. If you can make a connection, and a child knows that someone cared about them, you hope that they believe they can do and be something else.”

Among the many students Penny taught, one quietly stood out.

Sou Chhay, 17, was often the last to leave the classroom.

While others packed up, he stayed — finishing sentences, completing extra homework, determined not to fall behind.

“I’ve never seen a harder worker in my life,” Penny says.

And when she walks into his classroom, she says, “he just beams.”

“That’s an amazing feeling,” says Penny.

Sou Chhay’s journey hasn’t been easy. After his father left, Sou Chhay stepped up to care for his grandfather, leaving school for several years. Now back in the classroom with CCF, he is working to rebuild his future — with dreams of becoming a doctor or pharmacist.

Before coming to Cambodia, Penny already sponsored a child in Australia. But this felt different.

Here, she could see the impact. She could build a relationship. She could know the child behind the name.

“I’d been watching him in class,” she says. “I wanted to sponsor someone I connected with.”

Sou Chhay reminded her of her youngest son, Harry — the same age, the same love for basketball and music.

“I can put a name to a face. I’ve met his mum. I can help him with his English,” says Penny. “It makes writing letters so much more meaningful.”

Sou Chhay and Harry might have widely different lives and live in contrasting worlds - Harry attended a private school in Australia - but as teenage boys, they share similarities.

When she told Sou Chhay she would sponsor him, his reaction stayed with her.

“He said, ‘I’ve never had a sponsor.’ He told his family and his friends — they were all so excited.”

As Penny prepared to return home, her volunteer stint finishing, she knew this was just the beginning of their story, not the end.

She has left Sou Chhay with books to continue practicing his English. They will write to each other and talk on video calls. She will follow his progress, cheering him on from across the miles.

“I’m looking forward to developing our connection," says Penny. "As an English teacher, I can carry on helping Sou Chhay with his English, too.”

Sou Chhay says, “I am very happy to have a sponsor for the first time. My mum is also happy and thankful. Penny is very nice, and I hope she can be my mentor and English partner to practice my speaking.”

Penny’s sons attended Christ Church Grammar School, which has been involved with CCF for over 11 years through its school service initiative. With St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School, the school has raised over $446,000 for CCF. Each year, students and staff from Christ Church and St Mary’s visit CCF as part of their Service in Action programs.

Her youngest son, Harry, studies at Trinity College, University of Melbourne — home to several CCF scholarship students— while her two older sons are also at the University of Melbourne, where four CCF students are currently completing their degrees.

Harry recently caught up with one of the CCF Trinity students, Sreynoiy, 17. Her brother is in Grade 7 with CCF and was one of Penny’s students.

Penny hopes to share her experience at CCF with others, inspiring them to begin their own journey in a way that feels right for them.

“I’ll definitely be telling people back home about my experience at CCF — because now it’s real, not just seen on a video,” says Penny.

“And I will be saying there are children you could sponsor, too.”