Our story

We are a locally registered non-profit organization in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our charity provides education and support to over 200 children from poor families.

We believe that all families deserve affordable services that meet their needs. We are doing our part to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, by both providing a safe space for children so their parents can work, and preparing every child to access the same educational opportunities as those from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

We serve the poorest children and families for free. Because of the work of non-profit organizations like Anjali in the past decade, our community in Siem Reap is now more financially stable and better positioned to support their children’s access to quality programs. To ensure financial sustainability and parental commitment, we ask families who are able to contribute a small percentage of their annual income to keep our programs running.

We pride ourselves on being a sustainable, transparent charity. Anjali is a locally run NGO – our Executive Director, Program Manager, and coaches are all Cambodian, ensuring that the programs we provide are reliable and tailored for our community.

2005 - 2010: Getting started

We began as a small project of the Angkor Photo Festival and grew to become a one year project that included English classes, Khmer lessons, a dance troupe, and a photography workshop for street children in Siem Reap. Two years later, in 2007, Anjali House was officially founded as a not-for-profit organization with two teachers, one cook, one driver and one social worker providing classes in Khmer, English and photography to twenty students. By 2010, our classes reached 80 students. Photography and art remain essential parts of our program.

2010 - 2015: Expanding Our Program

While establishing our Young Adult Program, we aimed to educate and prepare young adults for future employment and integration into their communities. We also founded a Scholarship Program that allowed our first two students to study Nursing at the International University, Phnom Penh. Finally, we moved to a new location, where we could fully implement these programs alongside our Education and Basic Care Programs.

2015 - 2020: Strengthening Quality & Governance

We continued to expand and improve our programs through a Social Work department that provided family support and social services. We transitioned to a local leadership model. In 2018, we conducted our first impact assessment to determine the health of Anjali programs. We also initiated an annual external financial audit of our NGO in 2015.

2020 - onwards: Restructuring for Sustainability

To continue our journey toward full sustainability, we are restructuring our programs and financial model. We have honed in on the most successful and critical parts of our program: education for young students focused on English proficiency and creative workshops (Young Explorers), helping young adults plan for their futures through exploring vocational training and higher education and providing scholarships (Future Leaders), and supporting community growth and independence (Active Communities).