For those of you who don’t know, Siem Reap is home to the temples of Angkor Wat. The town itself has become rather prosperous with so many international hotels, restaurants, bars, etc … However, the province remains one of the poorest in the country, most of the common people living in the countryside get no benefits for the economic boom in the city – actually most of the money leaves the country altogether.

The poverty in many of these villages is heartbreaking and should not be allowed to happen so close to where 2.8 million tourists enjoyed their holidays last year. But it continues to occur nationwide. The villages we want to help have no electricity, running water and many of the families are too poor to send their children to school and without some assistance will be stuck in poverty for future generations.

The aim of this project is to empower locals by giving them initial assistance they need to get on their feet. There is continued support and guidance thereafter. But the intention is to encourage them to take control of thier lives. To give you an idea of what your m

Yesterday was the Angkor Bike Challenge After 3 hours sleep I was up at 4am and cycled under the stars and a nearly full moon to Angkor Wat. It was a big event with over a thousand cyclists taking part, but only around 100 participating in the 100 km ride. It was the perfect day, perfect conditions and the first day of my life as a 40 Yr old. Tired but sober with no hangover I was just about ready

A massive thanks to everyone who sponsored me back in December 2012 for the Angkor Bike Ride. It was a 100 km cycle around one of my famous parts of the planet, Angkor and took a little over 4 hours.  Thanks to your generosity I raised around $1700.  It’s not a huge amount, but everything was rather last minute and under the circumstances I was very happy! However, with the money spent thus far we have managed to offer some significant support for the commune. The commune consists of villages. Many of the families here are very poor and, with no land or rice fields of their own, are often forced to make the perilous trip across the border to Thailand to work as illegal labor. The “Land of Smiles”, as it is portrayed in tourist literature, is not such a happy place for illegal Khmers; it can be a very dangerous place! With no valid work or identity papers these people often find themselves victims of human trafficking and there have been countless cases of abuse, forced prostitution, slavery, and even murder. Many of those who cross the border for work in fishing, farming or construction simply disappear and their families never hear from them again. The fortunate ones get jobs that pay better than the work available in Cambodia, maybe $6 a day. Once lodgings and food have been paid for this is significantly reduced. But families are being broken up. Mothers and fathers often leave their children behind to fend for themselves, meaning they cannot attend school, as they need to care for their younger siblings. Children often accompany their parents or are sent on their own. Whatever the outcome this is always a strain on the family and it’s the children that bear the brunt of it! We want to help these families fend for themselves so they can stay in their homelands and understand the value of education for their children’s futures!

So with your donations we managed to finance the building of a small library in the villages English school (now we need books!) with a concrete foundation and bamboo walls this will enable the kids to study in their free time and be a place where books and teaching materials can be protected. We purchased 11 second hand Japanese bicycles, these will help to ensure that children who live 6 kms away from the secondary school will not drop out due to the distance which would otherwise need to be walked. One of the recipients was a very timid girl named, unfortunately was born with only 1 foot, obviously walking is very difficult for her, especially in the wet season. Thanks to your help this is not such a problem anymore. We also bought 400 ducklings; these were divided among 5 families who can now call themselves duck farmers. With 80 ducks each they can expect a healthy return on duck eggs once the ducks reach maturity. They (the females!) should lay 1 egg per day. The project will take 50 eggs from each farm and these will be incubated so as to provide other families with duckling in the future. Each recipient has been carefully selected on the basis of their financial status and also their willingness to comply with certain criteria designed to ensure that they use what they have been given to ensure a brighter future for them and their children.

So thank you all for making this possible! It’s a small but positive and significant contribution to a community’s welfare. For the price of a round of drinks at home you can buy a child a bicycle that can ensure they receive a proper education. For the same price, you could provide a family with the means to start a business!  You don’t need to be an A-list celebrity, stage a global concert or fly to the moon to make a difference … a little really can help!