A Great Trip to the Temples of Angkor!

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1 SC International Office 101SE 2 nd Place Suite 201 B Gainesville, FL United States usoffice@sustainablecambodia.org A Great Trip to the Temples of Angkor! May 2013 Dear Supporters, Thank you to our supporters from around the world, including our Rotarian friends from Sustainable Cambodia Australia and Rotarians from all over the globe. Thank you ALL! Everything the village families are doing to improve their quality of life is made possible by YOU. Students & teachers in this year's field trip to Siem Reap In this Cambodia Update, we're sharing a story about an educational field trip for our students. Read below to discover more... To help the children of these families with education: Click here to sponsor a child today! Sustainable Cambodia is a nonprofit organization working to help the residents of Cambodian villages create a sustainable quality of life. We do not simply give aid to the villagers. Instead, we help them build wells, irrigation systems and schools, and train them in agriculture and vocations, empowering and enabling them to create positive and measurable change in their villages. Sustainable Cambodia is registered in Cambodia as an Non-Governmental Organization with the Ministry of Foreign affairs and in the United States as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization. TIN# Please visit our website at

2 A Great Trip to the Temples of Angkor Wat! 62 students & 18 teachers on the field trip to Siem Reap Education at SC means engaging students in a stimulating and creative learning environment. One of our most exciting programs provides students of all ages the opportunity to visit the Temples of Angkor in Siem Reap every year. For most of our students, this is the first trip they have taken away from Pursat. And this is their first opportunity to visit the cultural heart of Cambodia.

3 Built for King Suryavarman in the early 12th century, the World Heritage Site is one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. Covering over 400 km2, the temple served as the capital for the Khmer Empire for 60 years. Students swimming in the West Baray This summer, 62 students,18 teachers, and 6 international volunteers joined the field trip to visit this national landmark, most for the first time. These trips provide a rare opportunity for our young Cambodian students, from rural villages, to explore Khmer history. And the trips also inspire teamwork, improve self-confidence, and encourage potential.

4 Students and teachers at Angkor Thom Arriving in Siem Reap after a 3 hour bus ride (a new highway has cut travel time to less than half), the group first visited Baray, a 17 km2 lake built in the early 11th century. Teachers and chaperones explained to the students how to care for their environment, and explained the two competing theories of the history of Baray, which some historians argue was created to irrigate lands during the dry season, while others believe it was a built primarily as a depiction of the Sea of Creation in Hinduism. The next day was full of temple trekking. Students explored and learned about the history, achievements, culture, and wonder of the Ancient Khmer Empire. Many students were surprised at the number of "baraang", or foreigners, visiting from all over the world. The teachers had their work cut out for them, as students showered them with questions relating to each temple and site.

5 Teachers and students at Ta Prohm Temple Everyone had a fantastic time. Back in Pursat, students shared with fellow classmates, comparing experiences with those who have gone on past trips, and getting others excited for their turn on future trips. "Hello, everyone! This is our picture that we took in Angkor Thom. We are really happy with the trip to Siem Reap. Because all the teachers and students have an opportunity to learn about the people lifestyle, history, culture, and how to participate in the group. This is a trip that I will never forget in my whole life. I learned about the history and culture. I want to say thank you so much!"

6 Many thanks to all of our supporters! Thanks to Supporters! Special thanks to Sustainable Cambodia Australia, to TC Swartz and Starquest Expeditions, to Rotary and Rotarians throughout the world, and to our wonderful child sponsors and University Scholarship sponsors from all over the world. Without all of you, none of this would be possible! Sustainable Cambodia (SC) is an internationally supported grass-roots not-for-profit organization, led by dedicated Cambodian staff with help from international volunteers, and with support from child sponsors and Rotary Clubs from all over the world. SC works with rural Cambodian villages to help them achieve sustainability and self-sufficiency. Sustainable Cambodia was co-founded by Rotarians, and active Rotarians make up a majority of Sustainable Cambodia's governing Board of Directors. SC aligns its values with those of Rotary International, including RI's ideals of empowerment, peace through understanding, world service and community service. We apply Rotary's effective "Four-Way Test" to ethical issues. Our model is unique in several ways: Only native Cambodians are employed as paid staff, and all international officers, directors and consultants are unpaid volunteers, ensuring that 100% of funding goes directly into the rural village programs. We are an empowerment organization rather than an "Aid" organization. We provide resources, assistance, training and education to the community, empowering families to revitalize their community and economy. Our approach is broad-based, including schooling for children, safe village drinking water, irrigation systems, alternative agriculture, vocational education, micro-business and healthcare. In return for the assistance, each family commits to helping surrounding villages: We not only "teach them how to fish," but teach them to teach others how to fish. While we currently work in central Cambodia, our vision is for this empowerment model to spread across Cambodia, and ultimately to grow into other countries.