Direct selling brand Tropic Skincare has opened the first charity-funded school in Cambodia.
In partnership with NGO United School Worlds, the natural cosmetics company has created a school Ta Lart Thmey, a remote fishing and farming village in North East Cambodia.
According to Tropic, the closest school was previously more than a three hour walk away and only 10% of the 350 population can read or write.
The new education centre includes four classrooms for teaching, working toilets, a fresh water supply and a library.
"I started Tropic aged 15 with an aim to help my mum with the household bills as we were new to the UK and struggling to make ends meet," said the Chinese-born founder Susan Ma.
"From humble beginnings, I feel so proud that Tropic is now able to give back on this scale.
"Visiting the community that will benefit from this school was an experience I’ll never forget. It will have such a great impact on their lives, all thanks to our customers and ambassadors."
The initiative is a part of Tropic's education United World Schools campaign. Since 2019, the brand is reported to have funded more than 500,000 days of teaching in Cambodia, Nepal and Myanmar.
Founded in 2011, Ma was a contestant on reality television series The Apprentice and received £200,000 investment by the show's judge and businessman Lord Alan Sugar.
"This kind of charity partnership has always been a dream of Susie’s, and thanks to Tropic’s success it has become a reality," added Lord Sugar.