Cambodia Kids
| Duration | 1 to 12 weeks |
| Hours |
Mon to Fri, 6hrs per day |
| Activities | Help in day centre, orphanage, teach English, build water filters |
| Location | Siem Reap, town with all amenities |
| Accommodation | Globalteer guest house |
| Requirements | Aged 18+ |
| Donation | From UK£390 / US$780 |
The Cambodia project is located in the town of Siem Reap near the UNESCO designated World Heritage Site of the Angkor temples.
The project supports a free education programme for the children, centres for orphans and vulnerable children, vocational training, day centre for street kids, community support and a water filter project.
The project focuses on the young and vulnerable to assist them in finding a way out of the trap of poverty through education, health care, nutrition and income generation.
Free Education Programme - Provides local children that are unable to afford the government school fees with the opportunity of a free education. One of the schools is run by a former Buddhist Monk who after 11 years of dedication to his religion decided to commit full time to the school. Children from ages 5 to 16 are taught a variety of subjects including English and Japanese. The school has 500 students who attend the school for a few hours each throughout the day. Due to the local tourist industry, 90% of the jobs available in Siem Reap require English to be spoken. The children are very enthusiastic about learning and very much appreciate hearing good English being taught and spoken by the volunteers.
Volunteers - Assist the local teaching staff as well as teaching English or Japanese.
Street Kids Day Centre - Provides local street kids with a safe environment for the children to play, learn, rest, wash and eat. The 60 children registered to attend the centre are the amongst the poorest and the most vulnerable, spending their day on the streets, begging and selling trinkets. The lucky ones chosen to attend the centre can spend part of their day in a safe environment and have the opportunity to escape their desperate situation to play and act like children once more. On Saturday the centre is open to all the local children who cannot be accommodated during the week so volunteers are required to assist on Saturdays. The centre also includes a night shelter to provide a safe place for the children to sleep. The activities include games with the children, assisting the teachers, helping the older children gain the skills for later in their lives and providing hugs as and when required!
Volunteers - Assist the local staff, play games, sing songs, draw pictures and become a mentor to the children.
Centres for orphans and vulnerable children - The project supports two centres that provide a safe home for more than 80 children as well as supporting the poorer children in the local community. At one centre, the children live in ''family'' groups of five or more. They live in individual houses with a stable carer, while they attend school and receive agricultural and vocational training. An emphasis is put on teaching traditional Khmer dance, music and handicraft arts, which were repressed during the Khmer Rouge regime. The children, some of whom are HIV+, also receive regular health checks from the Angkor Children's hospital. Relationships with friends and relatives are nurtured by regular trips for the children to their home villages.
Volunteers - Assist the local staff, teach English, play games, sing songs, draw pictures and provide individual skills to the project. During school holidays, sports days, art days and fun excursions are arranged.
Community projects – Globalteer’s first community project provides food and education to 30 children in a village near Siem Reap. The children were previously working or begging to be able to feed themselves and their families. The children range from 5 to 14 years old, most had never previously attended any school. Globalteer built a centre to provide both Khmer and English classes as well as food to allow them to give up working or begging. The classroom is a focal point for children to gain access to medical care, social and family support as well as fun activities. It is hoped that the project will expand rapidly to support and educate more children once the funds are available.
Volunteers – Assist with feeding the children, teaching English and supporting the local staff.
Water Filters - In Cambodia, 1 in 7 children die before the age of five from preventable diseases such as typhoid, malnutrition, malaria, dengue. The common denominator in many of these is waterborne illness. To address this issue we work with an organisation that is constructing and providing bio-sand water filters. They are a low cost way to provide potable water to impoverished areas from any water source (ie: pump wells, pit wells, rivers, ponds). Bio-sand water filters are a new technology to Cambodia. They are made of gravel, sand and cement at a cost of US$45 per filter. The filters are easy to construct with locally available materials, install and maintain. The filtration media consists of a layer of gravel, a layer of course sand, and a layer of fine sand. The biolayer holds the key bacteria essential to removing 98% of biological pathogens and 100% parasites. Water poured through the filter processes at a rate of one liter per minute. Each filter can optimally filter 50 to 80 liters of water per day.
Volunteers - Assist in the manufacture of the water filters, take the filters into the Cambodian countryside for distribution to villages.
Fun days are organised at the various projects including visits to the Temples, swimming pool, mountain and lake. The biggest event for the children is the “giant puppet parade” which is three weeks of building huge puppets culminating in an amazing day for the children dancing and singing through the streets with their creations. This is the one time when the focus changes from the children selling or begging from the tourists to the whole town focusing on them. The children of Cambodia rarely get the opportunity of self expression or recognition, the parade allows them this on one rare night every year.
To learn more click below:
What we do and why we need your help
Despite the wealth of tourist money that enters Cambodia, very little of this money filters down to the average Cambodian.
Malnutrition is common among Cambodian children – 45% are moderately or severely underweight. Only 41% of the population has access to safe drinking water, only Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Somalia have less access to clean water. Cambodia has the highest under 5 mortality rate in the East Asia and Pacific region. Some 61,000 Cambodian children died in 2005 before reaching their fifth birthday. Vaccine preventable diseases, diarrhea and respiratory infections are among the leading causes of childhood death.
Cambodia is among the poorest countries in the world. An estimated 36% of the population lives below the basic needs poverty line. Poverty in Cambodia is characterized by low income and consumption, poor nutritional status, low educational attainment, less access to public services including school and health services, less access to economic opportunities, vulnerability to external shocks, and exclusion from economic, social and political processes.
With the support of volunteers and your donations, Globalteer is working hard to help the least fortunate live healthily, with dignity and with a future.
Funds are used to:
Help fund the building of schools, community classes and centres for orphans and vulnerable children.
Provide meals for the children to allow them to attend school instead of working or begging.
Sponsor older children leaving the projects to assist them in their adult lives.
Purchase school uniforms, educational equipment, bicycles, hygiene packs and mosquito nets.
Purchase water filters that volunteers build and distribute to projects and communities.
Pay rents and local staff wages.
Our work is not possible without the invaluable assistance of volunteers and the donations generously provided.
The project is based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, South East Asia. Cambodia has a population of 13 million, 90% of it’s people are ethnic Khmer, the predominant religion is Buddhism. English is widely spoken, as well as some French and Japanese. Siem Reap is just a few kilometres from the spectacular Angkor Wat complex of temples - we recommend that you allow yourself between 1 and 3 days to visit the temples. The town attracts many tourists and therefore has many restaurants, bars internet cafes as well as museums and cultural activities.The location
Accommodation
Volunteers will stay in the Globalteer House close to shops and restaurants in the town of Siem Reap. Rooms are single occupancy or can be shared if volunteers are travelling together. The rooms are clean and comfortable, each with hot water, private toilet and shower. The rooms have fans but can be upgraded to air conditioning for a small fee. Cable TV is available in all rooms with chanels in English. The 26 rooms are used exclusively for volunteers, Globalteer staff and an office. A brilliantly stocked resource library of teaching aids and craft materials is available for volunteer use. The rooftop lounge with beautiful views of Siem Reap can be used to watch DVD's, relax and socialise with other volunteers. Globalteer House makes it possible to offer unparalleled support, resources and guidance for volunteers.
Globalteer House and office, TheaChamrat Road, Wat Bo Village, Salakamroeuk Commune, Siem reap, Kingdom of Cambodia.
Tel: (+855) (0)63 761 802
Visitors come to Siem Reap to visit the temples of Angkor, there are over 100 temples scattered in the area in various states of decay, some in overgrown jungle, some on lakes. Rest assured everyone leaves with their own personal favourite temple! Some people visit for one day to see the main attractions but we would recommend 3 days exploring the temples to get a much better overview of this incredible period in Cambodian history. On arrival in Siem Reap our project co-ordinator will advise the best ways and times to visit the temples. The town has many museums and cultural activities for you to visit including…
Tonle Sap Lake - visit this huge lake which is home to thousands of refugees whose entire community has grown on the lake from floating schools, shops and houses. Also venture further to see the wildlife sanctuary which is home to several species of endangered birds. Cambodia living arts - experience the enchanting music of Cambodia, lose yourself watching the spectacular shadow puppetry or relax and watch the colourful Khmer dancing. The town has many markets and shops catering to a variety of needs and also over 200 restaurants and bars. You may have the opportunity to spend time with the Monks and gain a unique insight into their lives and the Buddhist religion. Find out more from our Cambodia fact file. Extra activities
Daily schedule
You can join the project for a minimum of one week up to three months (extensions are sometimes possible). Volunteers take part in various activities from teaching, assisting local staff, sports, games, arts and vocational training. You will be required to be available for 6 hours per day with 2 days free time per week on Saturday and Sunday. Your specific placement will be decided shortly before arrival at the project, depending upon the needs at the time and your relevant abilities. We aim to keep volunteers at the same location throughout their placement to provide stability and consistency for the children. Your free time can be spent relaxing, exploring the temples and the sites of Siem Reap or socializing with the other volunteers.
*A Typical Day may be:
11am to 4pm assisting staff, teaching English, sports and arts at a centre for orphans and vulnerable children.
or
8am to 11am assisting in the construction of water filters.
4pm to 6pm teaching and assisting the local teaching staff at the school.
or
9am to 3pm assisting at a centre for children, teaching English, organising games, arts and sports.
*These are only examples of what your days activities may be, the projects are continually evolving and their requirements of volunteers may change before your arrival. Rest assured we are very flexible with volunteer’s personal needs and expect the same flexibility in return. Volunteers attending the street kids centre are required to assist on some Saturdays.
Required Donation
The required donation to the project is stated in UK £pounds and US $dollars.
Long term placements are available for this project and family groups are welcome, please advise on your application form. The donation includes - The donation does not include flights, visas or insurance although we can provide information as required. The volunteers are required to pay for their own daily transportation to the projects (Between £1 to £3 / $2 to US$6). The official currency is the Riel although $US dollars are used in most transactions and the Riel is used as small change. 4000 Riel = $1 US dollar. Local transport in a tuk tuk (motorcycle with carriage) will cost US$1 for a short journey or US$10 for all day. Bicycle hire costs US$1 all day. Meal at the local market costs Less than US$1. Meal in restaurant costs US$2 to $20.
Why is a donation required to volunteer?
*1 week will be
£390
$780
*2 weeks will be
£440
$880
*3 weeks will be
£490
$980
*4 weeks will be
£540
$1080
*6 weeks will be
£630
$1260
*8 weeks will be
£720
$1440
*10 weeks will be
£800
$1600
*12 weeks will be
£880
$1760
Airport pick up from Siem Reap international airport.
Project and Cambodia orientation briefing on arrival.
Accommodation for the duration of your stay at the project.
Free bicycles for all volunteers.
In country support from our volunteer co-ordinator, project manager and Cambodian staff.
A quote from a child at an orphanage:
“Before my parents died, my brothers and I could not go to school,” “Now that we go to school, my parents’ spirits can watch us and be happy, and they will go on to paradise.”
Local expenses
Further information
Click on the links below for further reading…
Application process & requirements
A background check of applicants may be carried out. This is solely to ensure the safety of the children. Volunteers are also required to read and sign Globalteer's Child Protection Policy before working with the children.