Here's how we work with our community
We believe that the best way to ensure a bright future for our country is to invest in our children. Our team has assisted children, families and communities by providing them with basic needs such as: clean water, educational supplies, bathrooms, classrooms, bicycles, computer and English language skills, nutritious meals for children whose families have to work outside of Cambodia and other needed supports for children and families living in poverty. First Angkor Guide is committed to expanding opportunities for children in need.
We ensure that 10% of proceeds from our tours will go toward educational charities. The more visitors we have, the more opportunities to help communities.
Cambodia Village Bicycle Project
Kim has been working on different projects that can improve the lives of children and families outside the monuments of Angkor. Since the project’s creation in 2007, we’ve grown from one school with 287 students to eleven schools with 5375 students in grades ranging from primary to high school. In addition to building schools and offering school supplies, another way we’ve been able to help improve education is through the donation of bicycles.
With schools located anywhere from 5km-13km from the homes of many rural children, bikes are often the only way for students to get to school. Offering bikes to students does more than just provide them with transportation; when families know their children have a bike to get to school, enrollment improves and dropout rates decrease.
We’ve been providing bicycles to students for six years now. The first year, 2011, we offered only 12 bicycles. By 2016, we were able to provide 251 bikes for kids from nine primary and middle schools.
This school year ends in August and our goal for the upcoming year is to double what we have been able to provide in the past. We’re hoping to offer 500 bikes to our students. One bicycle cost $45.
We need your love. Please consider sponsoring 1, 3, 5 or more children by funding their bikes! Thank you so much for taking the time to consider the above.
Clean Drinking Water Filtration Systems
As we know, water is life. Most schools in Cambodia do not have safe, clean drinking water for pupils during the school day. While some schools have ground wells or ponds where water is used for both cooking and drinking, most of these water sources contain high amounts of iron and arsenic poison. Long term use of the water from those unclean wells can cause various diseases such as typhoid fever and skin irritations. In addition, most children do not drink as much water as the body needs resulting in many health complications.
In order to improve the general health for students and communities, we’re working toward offering more clean water filtration systems to our communities. Each of these systems will serve water to more than 300 pupils and their families. Clean water will benefit the community’s general health as well as create better futures for children and families living in the poorest areas.
A clean drinking water system is between $8000 and $9000 depending on well drilling. If interested in supporting our clean water project, you can email kimthol@hotmail.com
How you can help
If you are in Siem Reap to visit the magnificent temples of Angkor, please set aside half a day to see the work we are doing. You can just bring toys, school supplies, buy flip-flops, sporting equipment, a bicycle(s) or you can donate money toward kids’ lunch program, water purifying system for the village, building a classroom(s).
You could join in the daily ongoing projects- let kids practice their English and computer skills, cook meals for them, and consider a short or long term volunteering opportunity. Your participation, support and donations are greatly appreciated and will enrich the lives of the children as well as your own.
Please email kimthol@hotmail.com to arrange to volunteer wth our village schools! Thank you for your help.