LIFE IN CAMBODIA

Cambodia is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. Its neighbours are Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the Gulf of Thailand to the southwest. Cambodia has a population of over fifteen million and approximately 43% of those being under the age of eighteen. The official religion is Theravada Buddhism which is practiced by approximately 95% of the population. The country's minority groups include Vietnamese, Chinese, Chams as well as thirty hill tribes. The capital and largest city is Phnom Penh which is the political, economic, and cultural hub of Cambodia. The kingdom is an elective constitutional monarch and the head of government is Hun Sen, who is currently Prime Minister and is the longest serving non-royal leader in South East Asia and has ruled Cambodia for over thirty years.

MAKE YOUR NEXT VOLUNTEER TRIP COUNT BY BECOMING PART OF A WORTHWHILE CAUSE AND JOINING OUR TEAM IN CAMBODIA TODAY!


 

ISSUES FACING CAMBODIA

Since 2005, there has been a tremendous problem with human trafficking, for both sex and labor. Currently, 1.2 million children (under the age of 18) are trafficked each year around the world. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 150 people have been sold into the sex trade. Human trafficking can be defined as being forced to work, for sexual exploitation which results in very little pay in slave-like conditions. There are many factors that contribute to this issue. Poverty, socioeconomic imbalances, lack of employment and education, and little opportunity for safe migration all contribute to this growing problem. Trafficking is caused by a vicious cycle which exploits the poorest of the poor when they are at their most vulnerable.

how you can help

As a volunteer in Cambodia, we will provide you with a life changing opportunity to teach English and to improve the lives of a community of beautiful people who struggle on a daily basis. It is important to note that you do not need to be able to speak Khmer (the local language) in order to teach English, you only need to be able to speak English. If you are interested in taking advantage of this unique opportunity, you will get to learn about growing food in a rural village, traditional farming methods, cooking local food as well as having the opportunity to eat what is being grown on site. You will learn about the people, the country, the struggle that these amazing, inspiring and resilient people endure with a smile every day. You will have the opportunity to learn and grow as well as to teach and give something back.


ESSENTIAL COUNTRY INFORMATION:

CAPITAL CITY: Phnom Penh
TIME ZONE: UTC +07:00
POPULATION:  13.3 Million
LITERACY PERCENT: 70
LIFE EXPECTANCY:  56
CURRENCY: Cambodian Riel (KHR)
RELIGION: Theravada Buddhist
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE(S): Khmer, French, English

Weather and climate: The climate can generally be described as tropical. As the country is affected by monsoon, it is hot and humid with an average temperature around 27 °C / 80 °F. There are two distinct seasons: Rainy Season is from June until October where average temperatures are between 27 - 35 °C / 80 - 95 °F. Dry Season is divided into two sub - seasons, cool and hot. The Dry cool season is from November until February where average temperatures are between 17 - 27 °C / 80 - 95 °F. The Dry hot season is from March until May where average temperatures are between 29 - 38 °C / 84 - 100 °F.


COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & ECOLOGY PROGRAMS

PROVIDING EDUCATION, COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE & VALUABLE LIFE SKILLS TO THE UNDER - PRIVILEGED

Location: Chikreng District (approximately 45 KM east of Siem Reap)

There has been a school set up by Buddhist monks to help children to be educated in rural areas. The school is located approximately 45km from Siem Reap making it a remote and rural area according to the inaccessibility of employment and the unavailability of basic necessities. The locals in the region have no choice but to grow their own food and fend for their lives. One of the challenges that come with living here is that there are vast seasonal differences, which means it is only possible for them to live off the land for just a few months each year. Life for these people is very basic and the day to day life is a struggle. Remarkable change does not happen overnight but can be created one step at a time. Through the generous help of volunteers and donations, a well has been drilled so that food can be grown year-round and this well also provides the children and local villagers with access to fresh drinking water. At this point, the school has been relying on donations to continue building the school and to compensate the local teachers who continually provide education in the absence of volunteers. As a volunteer, here's how you can get involved:

  • This program provides an opportunity to volunteer in Cambodia and helps improve the lives of children and make an impact to those who are in desperate need of a helping hand up. This community welcomes volunteers who would like to help in the school or share their knowledge with the people in the village. The children living in in these remote villages have not had access to proper education until now. This school provides children with the opportunity to learn basic English and computer skills that will enable them to have opportunities to improve their life, their future, and give them a chance to break the cycle of poverty that exists all over the country. Volunteers play a crucial role in the process of setting up this school, but it is not finished. With the help of volunteers, we have been able to build a school to offer children in this remote area an opportunity to have an education that they would not otherwise have been provided with. Volunteers on this program will get a unique opportunity to enhance these children’s opportunities to gain employment and improve their lives. There are still many projects to be completed and a lot of the work is ongoing. The school currently educates approximately 400 students but the aim is to be able to increase that to 1,000 in the coming years. Providing these children with an opportunity to have a basic education that will allow them to improve the quality of their lives is a crucial part of the program. While volunteering on this program, there are various ways you can contribute but here's one of the ways you can help: providing personal donations to enable the locals to purchase building materials or computers to ensure there are adequate amounts of computers for the computer room. Also, any volunteers with specific skills would be an asset to help this school become self-sufficient so that they no longer have to rely on the help and handouts of the ‘western world’.

  • For this program, you will get a opportunity to teach and share some basic computer education and skills to children of all ages. Through donations from past volunteers and other donors, this program has been very privileged to have been able to obtain enough computers and provide a classroom to offer our students a Computer Class and a safe and encouraging environment for learning. The computer and knowledge classes are usually provided for one hour and they are offered every day of the week. The students have a choice when they wish to attend their class and very positive results from offering these classes have been found from all ages of children. Both the local children and the teachers are very appreciative of this class.

  • There are several various ongoing projects for this program. Since this program was created, a kitchen for the teachers and volunteers as well as a hand washing station has been built for the children. The aim of the current project under development is to build a playground area along with a volleyball court and soccer goal. In the future, the goal is to build a brick wall for the school, which would replace the bamboo wall that is currently being used. The long-term goal is to acquire funds to be able to build accommodation and training centres, which will provide homes for all the volunteer teachers. By building this, it will empower local people that ability to teach skills associated with the hotel industry to the children. Children will be taught front counter/reception, cooking, serving and room cleaning so the students in the school can eventually find these jobs if they would like to become workers in this industry when they are ready and old enough to join the workforce. We value any volunteer who is willing to offer us advice, guidance, practical skills to assist with the building development and maintenance of the school and surrounding village area projects.

  • This program provides volunteers with an opportunity to develop new ideas or create new innovate ways to set up a vegetable garden that is sustainable year-round. During this program, volunteer will empower the children by teaching them how to grow and maintain the garden for future use. Along with the vegetable garden, there are also numerous other on-going projects as well as maintenance of the grounds that could use as much tender love and care as one may be able to provide. We welcome any volunteer who is willing to offer advice, guidance, or practical skills to help us with the development and maintenance of this garden and contribute to our agriculture program.

I MET MANY LOVELY PEOPLE THAT WILL FOREVER BE IN MY HEART. WHEN I HAD TO RETURN HOME IT WAS LIKE I WAS LEAVING MY FAMILY BEHIND
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My name is Janice, I'm a retired senior 60+ years old and from Courtenay, which is located on Vancouver Island in BC, Canada. In January 2019, I volunteered on a 1 month Teaching English program in Cambodia with Volunteers Without Borders. The village area was small and 'authentic' and located 1 hour from Siem Reap. My experience on this program as a volunteer was very rewarding and humbling. The children, staff at the school, and the Buddhist monks were very accommodating, respectful and always assured that my needs were met. As a volunteer on this program, I stayed at the school. The children there were very eager and always wanted to learn as often as possible. When I was not volunteering, I participated on local tours to make sure my Cambodian experience was rich with local culture and sites. I got my big city 'fix' on the weekends and was able to explore all the local markets and temples with Siem Reap and surrounding area. During my program, I met many lovely people that will forever be in my heart. When I finished my program and had to return home, it felt like I was leaving my family behind. This village and school is well worth your time if you are looking for a life changing volunteer experience.
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Janice Ford

60+ YEARS OLD
NATIONALITY: CANADIAN
DESTINATION:  CAMBODIA
PROGRAM DURATION: 4 WEEKS

Community Development Program Fee

  • $275.00 CAD

  • $545.00 CAD

  • $810.00 CAD

  • $1,075.00 CAD

  • $1,345.00 CAD

  • $1,605.00 CAD

  • $1,870.00 CAD

  • $2,130.00 CAD

PLEASE NOTE: Volunteers are required to pay a Registration Fee of $225.00 CAD, which will be added to the program fee. This fee helps to cover the registration, enrolment, administration and processing costs. To find out what’s included in the program fees, scroll down for additional details.

To convert these prices to your currency click here. Fees may vary depending on the USD exchange rate.


OUR PROGRAM FEES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING:

Registration Fee - (refundable if you cancel your program), ongoing support from VWB staff, program marketing costs, digital information package, administration costs, travel costs to develop additional programs as well as ongoing costs to sustain programs.

Program Fee - orientation, program supervision, accommodation (private or dormitory style) and meals during volunteer program period, in-country 24/7 volunteer support and in country administration costs. (Private transport available from Siem Reap, but not included).

Additional Costs to the Volunteer - visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), immunizations / vaccinations, in-country trips or tours, transfer to other areas and spending money.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Our enrolment and registration process begin by applying online. Once you have filled out and submitted the online application form, you will receive a confirmation email. To continue on in our enrolment process, all volunteers will be required to pay a Registration Fee of $225.00 CAD, which will be added to the Program Fee. This fee helps to cover the administration and processing costs. Once we receive both the registration and program fee payment, we will send you a confirmation email with the program details and encourage you to book your flight at that time. Our team will be readily available to correspond with you and answer any questions you might have from the time you apply until you reach the project. If you have any further questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us at: info@vwbinternational.org.

 
 

Thank you for choosing Volunteers Without Borders and we can assure you that you've come to the right place!