What were the challenges during the process?
I found that getting kids into school was relatively easy. It was a very straightforward process. But after about six months, the dropout and absentee rates were high. That was because—and I didn’t think about this—when the kids stopped working on the landfill, the family would have less income, and the siblings would get less food, they would have less ability to pay rent. It was just a simple and very understandable approach by the parents: they needed the children to work.

What support has CCF been offering underprivileged children and their families?
The first step was to make sure the parents weren’t going to be worse off [after their children start attending school]. For good attendants, they get their rice for the month.

I also started a kindergarten for the younger siblings of the family. In many cases, when the parents go out for work, the older children [those who we wanted to send to school] were left to take care of the younger siblings. At the kindergarten, we have people to take care of them.

If the children fell seriously sick, we’d cover the medical costs. Later, we also set up a medical clinic. People often get into debt for medical reasons. So we set up a refinancing programme to pay off the creditor.

Has your previous work background been useful in running CCF?
Running a big corporation like Fox 20th Century Studios was [helpful]. It’s all about running the business, budgeting, finance, human resources, human skills, negotiation skills and more. [Charity assessment organisation] Charity Navigator is the largest independent evaluator and there are only 50 in the world with 100 per cent score. We’re one of them. I don’t think that we would be there if I didn’t have a very strong business background.

What are the career prospects of students who have benefited from CCF?
Once you’ve got your degree in Australia [where CCF usually sends students to], you’ve got a two-year visa extension. Most will spend those two years working, building up money and becoming more worldly in their perspectives. Then they come back to Cambodia and make huge changes. A lot of students have also got their own scholarships. For instance, one boy did a degree in IT systems, went on to do a master’s on a scholarship in France, and got a scholarship to do a PhD in Belgium. We’ve got 200 kids in university and another 100 who have graduated.

How do you ensure that CCF doesn’t fall into orphanage tourism, which has been rampant in Cambodia?
All children live with foster families. [In our foster care houses,] we don’t allow tourists to come down—we occasionally chase away those who turn up in a tuk tuk, thinking they’re going to go for a tour and leave a bag of rice behind.

What’s next for CCF?
The Angkor Wat half-marathon on December 3. People put together their own teams; there are people from the CCF board from Hong Kong and around the world, employees from various [corporate] companies, locals and our students.

Next year is our 20th anniversary. There’s going to be a larger event in Phnom Penh in May. There’ll be street parties and a formal ceremony to honour those who’ve stepped out and helped the charity.

Would you ever consider going back to Hollywood?
I have no regrets. Right now, I don’t know what I would spend my money on. I rent a house now. I have a beat-up old car; no more Porsches and SUVs. But I don’t want them anymore. It was a good lifestyle. I don’t miss the money.

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