Field Reports

Many of you know that “partnership” is an essential element of the work we do. In this spirit of partnership, we work with carefully vetted, local, grass-roots NGOs (non-government organizations) to help them become stronger and more sustainable. Sometimes that partnership means funding. Sometimes it means training, consulting, or coaching. Sometimes both. Our goal is clear. The more sustainable our NGO

University scholarships are a clear pathway out of poverty. So, you won’t be surprised to know that we fund a lot of scholarships. Sometimes more than 20 in one year. Many are for promising young people – mostly girls. Others are for staff capacity building for our NGO Partners. Always, without fail, these scholarships carry a significant element of pay

Here in Cambodia, “orphanages” are often viewed in a well-deserved, unfavorable manner. In way too many cases, so-called “orphanages” are simply scams run for the benefit of the sponsor, not the kids. Here’s a video that makes that point vividly clear. Don’t Create More Orphans Fortunately, in contrast, there is our NGO partner in Siem Reap – Children’s Improvement Organization

Today I want to talk about about kids with developmental issues … kids with learning disabilities … kids with special needs. They show up in all cultures and all countries. If you’re one of those kids in Cambodia your chances for skilled, professional care are somewhere between slim and none. That is, unlessyou happen to be one of the lucky

All too often when I was growing up school seemed like such a drudge. With most of my friends feeling the same way, that only reinforced my attitude. Why did I view education that way? I’m really not sure. Perhaps a partial explanation is that when I grew up education was a “given.” Always there. Always mandatory. Always free. Books

In Cambodia it’s not unusual for impoverished women to find themselves in difficult situations. Often, it’s financial. Sometimes it’s a bad marriage. Sometimes it’s domestic violence. Often it is a combination. Worse yet, where do they go for help? The government offers nothing. Their small village has no resources for them. They are stuck. Fortunately, our wonderful partner – the

A few days ago, I wrote about the new toilet block we provided for a village school in Cambodia. That was certainly good news for the kids and teachers there. It would be an understatement to say they were excited. Without a doubt, we’re proud of what we accomplished. Now, I want to get even more basic. Can you imagine

Let’s talk about toilets. Here in America, and in most of the western world, we take toilets for granted. That’s not the case elsewhere on the planet – especially at local village schools in Cambodia. Imagine being a kid and going to school with no toilet – or one not much better than a “hole in the ground.” Imagine how

Time and time again, research demonstrates that kids attending preschool thrive when entering Grade 1. Just recently our wonderful NGO Partner, the Grace House Community Center, took that step and opened their brand new facility called “Bunnies and Puppies”. Here’s the story in their own words. Just recently we were able to respond to the community’s needs by establishing a

Today I want to talk about bicycles. Here in America bicycles are readily available and often taken for granted. But, in many of the villages where I work in Cambodia bicycles can be life changing. So, I want to share with you a recent experience working with our wonderful partner, Build Your Future Today (BFT), where we were able to