Who We Are

Caring for Cambodia (CFC) is a non-profit, non-governmental, charitable organization that provides a free education for over 6,800 impoverished children in 21 schools spanning pre-school to high school. CFC professionally trains its Cambodian teachers and provides everything a child needs to succeed, including food, water, uniforms, school supplies, computers, transportation, and basic healthcare. CFC relies on volunteer support to ensure as much as possible of every dollar raised directly supports the education of a child.

• We are a grass-roots organization committed to removing barriers and helping Cambodians to help themselves.
• We have earned the support and approval of the Cambodian government as the country’s recognized model for Child Friendly Schools.
• When we make a difference in the life of one child, we make a difference in the future of an entire community.
• Our mission is both achievable and sustainable.
• Our dedicated volunteer team helps to minimize our administrative costs, ensuring that 93 cents of every dollar raised directly supports our schools and educational programs.

Your donation goes directly towards funding educational programs at our 21 schools in Siem Reap. These program costs include:

• Teacher salaries, teacher training, and teaching supplies needed to support a capable team of Cambodian educators from preschool through 12th grade;
• Program Managers and resources for CFC signature programs, such as Career Preparation, ESL, STEM, Girls Matter!, Life Skills and others;
• WASH and Health Education training and resources for our staff and students (clean water, gender-friendly toilet facilities, hygiene supplies, and first aid kits);
• Two nutritious meals prepared daily at school cafeterias (over 2 million meals every year)
• Basic tools needed for children to successfully pursue an education: bicycles for transport, uniforms, textbooks, and school supplies;
• Maintenance and operating costs of existing buildings; and
• Construction of new school buildings

The cost to educate a child for a full school year is $180USD.

Unrestricted donations are the most effective way to support CFC programs. These allow CFC the flexibility to allocate funds to meet critical needs, and keep our teachers teaching and our students learning.

In-kind donations necessary to support our teachers, students and programs. Suggestions include: school supplies, hygiene supplies, first aid supplies, flip flips and backpacks. More information on suggested in-kind donations and how to organize a collection campaign is available here or send us an email with any questions (volunteers@caringforcambodia.org).

Note: If you are located in Singapore, please contact us regarding collection points. If you are located outside Singapore, we kindly ask that you arrange shipping at your own cost to Singapore, and our team will arrange final transport to Cambodia.

Volunteers interested in engaging with their local communities around the globe to raise funds and awareness for CFC’s mission. For more information on how to get involved or how to contact a volunteer Chapter located in your area, please email us (volunteers@caringforcambodia.org">volunteers@caringforcambodia.org).

In all, CFC supports 21 schools in the Siem Reap province: twelve preschools, five primary schools, two junior high schools, and two high schools. These schools serve more than 6,800 students.

Registration is regulated by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). Students register according to their residential zone, and all school-age children from the local community are encouraged to register.

CFC schools follow the Cambodian government’s Child-Friendly Schools curriculum. This base curriculum is augmented with a robust offering of enrichment classes focused on 21st-century skills including English as a Second Language (ESL), Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Career Preparation, Girls Matter! (our gender equity initiative), and more.

Teacher training is how educational change in Cambodia is taking root and will endure. CFC teachers receive professional training on internationally recognized best practices, and then go on to train and mentor others, steadily changing the culture of education in Cambodia.

In addition to the educational requirements mandated by the Cambodian, CFC has implemented a two-pronged approach to teacher training.

• International Teacher Training – Teams of master teachers from international schools, such as Singapore American School and Tanglin Trust School, travel to Siem Reap several times a year to lead multi-day training sessions. The focus of the training reflects Cambodia’s Ministry of Education’s priorities but also exposes our teachers to new ideas, classroom strategies, and resources.
• Mentor Teacher Program – Mentor Teachers are CFC teachers who have shown outstanding leadership skills and a strong grasp of teaching methods. These leaders support and train their fellow teachers through on-going classroom visits and observations, assisting with the implementation of best practices.

CFC’s team is comprised of paid staff, teachers whose salaries are shared between CFC and the Cambodian government, and a large corps of dedicated volunteers around the globe. Staff members are primarily located in Siem Reap with some executive team members located in North America and Singapore. This executive team includes several professionals who choose not to draw a salary, so as to keep CFC’s overhead costs extremely low and ensure a maximum amount of each contributed dollar goes directly to programs that serve Cambodian children.

CFC is headquartered and registered as a tax-exempt nonprofit in Austin, Texas. In addition, CFC is registered as a Charity in Singapore. All operations take place in Cambodia where CFC operates under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cambodian government.

CFC is run predominantly on volunteer support, and any assistance to raise funds and awareness is greatly appreciated. With more than 4,000 supporters worldwide, the CFC volunteer community resides in over 40 countries. There are active volunteer chapters in Singapore and several major metropolitan areas in the United States. Each of our chapters has a solid core of supporters and leadership, sponsoring activities to raise funds and awareness.

CFC volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and contribute a diverse array of skills and energies. The common thread, and the most important attribute needed, is the desire to help.

If you are interested in joining our global team of volunteers, please email us at volunteers@caringforcambodia.org.