Move from Kampong Chhnang Imagine moving to a new city, alone, with three young children. In 2012, this is what Bopha* did. This is her story and how her young family came to Anjali House. She left Kampong Chnang Province in 2012 to begin a new life and job in Siem Reap. She worked as a housekeeper for many years, struggling to provide for her three children. Her eldest daughter, Sonita*, started to work when she was young to help support the family as well. “I dream that my children have a better life than me. To be able to study and get a good job.” Bopha, 52, is a single parent to three daughters. The youngest two, Vatey,19, and… Read more
Meet Doriane Hi! My name is Doriane. I am from France. Before coming, I was volunteering in Poland as an English teacher. I volunteered Anjali House as a teacher assistant for the whole year in 2022. This amazing experience changed my life! My Arrival in Siem Reap After a long flight from France to Cambodia, I finally landed in Siem Reap. I discovered a city that just woke up from a long hibernation. Because of the Covid pandemic, Siem Reap was empty of its usual tourists. I could feel this period had a huge impact on the Khmer people. A lot of shops were still closed, but life started to come back little by little. I arrived during the Lunar… Read more
Vandy is one of the hardest-working people you could ever hope to meet, all while being incredibly generous. Both with his time and his heart. Despite having a full-time job and studying in the evenings, he still finds time to be a teacher and mentor to students at Anjali. He wants to give back to the organization that helped him, so other students can follow in his footsteps. ‘I wanted to come back to Anjali House to teach and share some of the things I learned here with other students so they can become successful.’ Vandy is 22, the second of four siblings raised by their mother in the Sala Kamreuk district of Siem Reap. Sadly, like so many rural… Read more
A Pandemic Project We initially launched our mobile library back in 2020 at the beginning stages of the pandemic. Since our students were no longer able to come to Anjali House - we thought we would go to them! We had 115 mobile library hours in 2020, accessing 815 children. Covid began to spread in Cambodian communities in early 2021. W the increased restrictions and dangers in gathering in groups in 2021, we had to stop the program. This initiative remained dear in our hearts as we wanted to continue to utilize our materials across our community. And We Are Back Up and Running! Thanks to the Women’s International Group in Phnom Penh, we have been able to restart our… Read more
Hi, I'm Anaïs, I was a communication volunteer from November 2021 to August 2022 here in Siem Reap, Cambodia! Traveling During the Pandemic I started volunteering for Anjali House during the Covid period. I had to start my adventure with a one-week mandatory quarantine in Phnom Penh. I was lucky, the government had reduced the quarantine from two weeks to one for vaccinated people prior to my arrival. So it was one week after my arrival in Cambodia that I was able to start volunteering for Anjali House! Classes and Communication These 10 months went by so fast! I didn't see the time passing! My main mission was related to the communication of the association. I was in charge of… Read more
Meet Léna, Our Volunteer Coordinator My name is Léna and I have been working as a volunteer in Siem Reap since September 2021. Now that my time at Anjali House is coming to a close, I took some time to reflect on my experience. Life in Cambodia has changed a lot since I arrived here. At the time I arrived, the 14 days of quarantine were still mandatory. The country was still closed to tourists and Siem Reap was going through major roadwork. Everything seemed uncertain, but I was amazed by my surroundings and ready to get to work. It was my first time in Asia, but for some reason, Cambodia felt familiar. I adapted myself rather quickly to… Read more
Sokly studied at Anjali House for about 8 years. We have seen her evolution from childhood to adolescence. She successfully graduated high school and is now a TESOL major at Pannasastra University. She is also an English teacher and curriculum developer at REACH, another NGO in Siem Reap. We are so proud of her journey and we are thrilled to see her dedication in helping the town of Siem Reap through her new job. Meet Sokly: My name is Tep Sokly. I have studied at Anjali House since 2014. It has been eight years now. Anjali House is like a second home for me because Anjali House supports my studying by providing me with school materials, English, computer skills, soft… Read more
Meet Sokea We are happy to introduce Sokea, an alumni who started with Anjali at a young age and has returned to teach. It is always touching to see the evolution of a child, on their journey of growing up and independent. Sokea's journey proves that although every journey has difficulties, there are solutions. It is important to know how to bounce back and to be open to the opportunities that life offers us. My name’s Try Sokea. I am 26 years old. I have 7 siblings and I am the fifth child in my family. My parents moved to Siem Reap around 2007. My home town was from Takeo Province. Because my parents wanted to look for a job.… Read more
