NGO · Cambodia · Community Impact

Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects

Education and community-learning projects with novice monks, children, women and underserved groups in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

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WhereCambodia
FocusCommunity Impact
Established2018
Next placement3 Aug 2026

About Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects

Operating since 2018

Education and community-learning projects with novice monks, children, women and underserved groups in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The programme supports novice monks, children, young people, women and underserved communities in and around Siem Reap through locally-led education and community-development projects. Its central focus is English-language teaching, delivered alongside local partners rather than in place of them.

Volunteers and participants support qualified local teachers as native-English-speaking role models and provide enrichment activities; independent teaching is not required. A large part of the work is teaching English to novice monks at Wat Damnak, a teaching monastery in the centre of Siem Reap, alongside classes for community members there. The rest spans several partners: English classes at primary and middle schools run by a local school foundation, English and confidence-building sessions with women through partner NGOs, and occasional health, nutrition and small refurbishment work.

Project weeks run Monday to Friday, with morning and late-afternoon sessions and evenings and weekends free. Schedules stay flexible around community needs, school holidays and Khmer festivals such as Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben, when project work pauses.

  • Central focus is English-language education, delivered to support (not replace) local teachers.
  • Works with a distinctive mix of partners: local school foundations, a Buddhist teaching monastery, women's-empowerment NGOs and community organisations.
  • The current base is run jointly with a hospitality training college that creates opportunities for disadvantaged young Cambodians, so hosting proceeds support local training.
  • Programme themes align with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
  • Work includes English classes for novice monks at Wat Damnak, children's early-years and school English support, and women's confidence and sewing classes.
  • Operating in Cambodia since 2018; relocated from Kampong Cham to Siem Reap in 2022 after a COVID-era pause.

Project work

Education & community

English-language education is the core of our work. A large share of it is teaching novice monks at the Wat Damnak teaching monastery, alongside children's early-years and school English, adult English classes, and women's confidence and sewing sessions, plus community development and health and nutrition activities.

Community-led & ethical

We work alongside local partners in Siem Reap, including a local school foundation, the Wat Damnak teaching monastery and women's-empowerment NGOs. Teaching is designed to support qualified local teachers rather than replace them, and all participants complete cultural, ethical and child-safeguarding training before entering the field.

Impact

Working in Siem Reap, Cambodia, the network runs year-round education and community programmes: children's learning and development sessions, adult English classes, gender-equality workshops with girls and women, and health, nutrition and sustainability activities. The figures below are drawn directly from the annual impact records for each year, tracking sessions delivered, learners reached and facilitators engaged, alongside environmental measures such as clean-ups and the carbon footprint of operations.

1,241Adult English education sessions delivered (2025)
954Children reached in learning and development sessions (2023)
814Children's learning and development sessions delivered (2024)
449Adult English learners reached (2023)

2026 (to date)

187Children's learning and development sessions delivered (Jan-Apr)
212Children reached in learning and development sessions (Jan-Apr)
11Teachers engaged in children's learning sessions (Jan-Apr)
18Visiting volunteers involved in children's learning sessions (Jan-Apr)
384Adult English education sessions delivered (Jan-Apr)
18Project facilitators engaged in adult English sessions (Jan-Apr)
18Visiting volunteers involved in adult English sessions (Jan-Apr)
52Gender-equality sessions delivered (Jan-Apr)
4Project facilitators engaged in gender-equality sessions (Jan-Apr)
8Visiting volunteers involved in gender-equality sessions (Jan-Apr)
3Health and nutrition sessions delivered (Jan-Apr)
8Community members attending health and nutrition sessions (Jan-Apr)
3Project facilitators engaged in health and nutrition sessions (Jan-Apr)
1Visiting volunteers involved in health and nutrition sessions (Jan-Apr)
5Sustainability (SDG awareness) workshops delivered (Jan-Apr)
8Visiting volunteers attending sustainability workshops (Jan-Apr)

2025

775Children's learning and development sessions delivered
866Children reached in learning and development sessions
47Teachers engaged in children's learning sessions
77Visiting volunteers involved in children's learning sessions
1,241Adult English education sessions delivered
79Project facilitators engaged in adult English sessions
79Visiting volunteers involved in adult English sessions
296Gender-equality sessions delivered
12Project facilitators engaged in gender-equality sessions
40Visiting volunteers involved in gender-equality sessions
2Health and nutrition sessions delivered
1Project facilitators engaged in health and nutrition sessions
3Visiting volunteers involved in health and nutrition sessions
8Change in health knowledge of community members
2Buildings or spaces refurbished
5Visiting volunteers involved in infrastructure work
23Sustainability (SDG awareness) workshops delivered
54Visiting volunteers attending sustainability workshops
14520.47146Total operational carbon footprint (kg CO2e)

2024

814Children's learning and development sessions delivered
940Children reached in learning and development sessions
12Teachers engaged in children's learning sessions
88Visiting volunteers involved in children's learning sessions
551Adult English literacy sessions delivered
192Adult English learners reached
5Teachers engaged in adult English sessions
67Visiting volunteers involved in adult English sessions
332Gender-equality sessions delivered
44Girls and women taking part in gender-equality sessions
53Teachers engaged in gender-equality sessions
55Visiting volunteers involved in gender-equality sessions
29Sustainability (SDG awareness) workshops delivered
133People taking part in sustainability workshops
36Site clean-ups carried out
122People involved in site clean-ups
182Plastic waste collected from clean-ups (kg)
1Environmental workshops delivered
5People attending environmental workshops
30841.744Total operational carbon footprint (kg CO2e)

2023

608Children's learning and development sessions delivered
954Children reached in learning and development sessions
12Teachers engaged in children's learning sessions
63Visiting volunteers involved in children's learning sessions
478Adult English literacy sessions delivered
449Adult English learners reached
7Teachers engaged in adult English sessions
54Visiting volunteers involved in adult English sessions
141Gender-equality sessions delivered
210Girls and women taking part in gender-equality sessions
24Teachers engaged in gender-equality sessions
39Visiting volunteers involved in gender-equality sessions
42Sustainability (SDG awareness) workshops delivered
134People taking part in sustainability workshops
5Site clean-ups carried out
7People involved in site clean-ups
12.3Plastic waste collected from clean-ups (kg)
13Environmental workshops delivered
102People attending environmental workshops
12571.894Total operational carbon footprint (kg CO2e)

Approach

This programme supports children, young people, women and underserved communities through locally-led education and community-development projects, with a central focus on English-language teaching delivered alongside local partners rather than in place of them. Teaching is designed to strengthen, not replace, local teachers so that support is sustainable, and work spans schools, a Buddhist pagoda, and women's-empowerment NGOs.

The programme treats respect for local culture and knowledge as central to doing no harm and building long-term projects, and aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 5 and 17. Donations flow only through official channels, and the current base is run jointly with a hospitality training college that creates opportunities for disadvantaged young Cambodians.

Milestones

  • The programme began in 2018 with its first community hub in Kampong Cham, a city on the Mekong River. It launched with English workshops at a local university partner, hired its first Education Coordinator and welcomed its first volunteer, then expanded into healthcare and women's empowerment. Over
  • 20182019 it added classes at a local pagoda, its first dental-hygiene health initiative, and a Women's Empowerment Club that grew substantially after moving to a Teacher Training Centre. Early 2020 preparations to move to Siem Reap were interrupted when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the hub into hibernation. In July 2022 the hub reopened in Siem Reap with a new base and partners, quickly building programmes with monks, schools and community health. Through 2023 it welcomed a new programme team, deepened its women's-empowerment partnership, signed a memorandum of understanding with a local school foundation, and completed community art projects such as school murals. In May 2024 it relocated to a new base run jointly with a hospitality training college that offers opportunities to disadvantaged young Cambodians. By 2025 all English programmes were running well across children, women, monks and a sewing class.

Highlights

  • Based in Siem Reap, northwestern Cambodia, gateway to the Angkor Wat UNESCO World Heritage temple complex.
  • Central focus is English-language education, delivered to support (not replace) local teachers.
  • Works with a distinctive mix of partners: local school foundations, a Buddhist teaching monastery (teaching English to monks), women's-empowerment NGOs and community organisations.
  • Current base is run jointly with a hospitality training college that creates opportunities for disadvantaged young Cambodians, so hosting proceeds support local training.
  • Operating in Cambodia since 2018; relocated from Kampong Cham to Siem Reap in 2022 after a COVID-era pause.
  • Programme themes align with UN Sustainable Development Goals 1 (No Poverty), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
  • Includes women's confidence and sewing classes, monk English classes, and children's early-years and school English support.
  • In 2025 the programme delivered over 1,200 adult English sessions and around 775 children's learning sessions, reaching more than 860 children.

About Siem Reap

The programme is based in Siem Reap in northwestern Cambodia, best known as the gateway to Angkor Wat, the 12th-century UNESCO World Heritage temple complex. The city combines cultural heritage with a lively modern atmosphere of markets, Khmer cuisine and community life, and Buddhist monks have a strong presence because of its historic temples. Cambodia has seen significant reductions in overall poverty, but people remain marginalised on the basis of gender, geography, ability and ethnicity.

Siem Reap has a tropical climate with two seasons: a cooler, drier season from November to April (December and January the most comfortable, April the hottest at up to around 45C) and a wet monsoon season from May to October with warm temperatures and frequent afternoon or evening rain. The base sits centrally but in a quiet corner of the city on large, calm grounds. The time zone is Indochina Time (GMT+7).

Volunteering in Cambodia

Siem Reap is shaped by tourism to Angkor, and the benefits of that economy are unevenly distributed. The education work here is aimed at the people it reaches least.

NGO, nonprofit or charity — which is it?

People search for all of these and mean roughly the same thing. NGO — non-governmental organisation — is the term used most widely outside the UK and is what Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects would call itself. Nonprofit and not-for-profit describe how it is funded: no owner takes a profit. Charity is a specific legal status in the UK, and community development organisations registered in Cambodia are governed by Cambodian law rather than by the Charity Commission, so the word does not map across exactly. On this site, "local NGO" means an organisation that is registered, staffed and directed in the country it works in.

Volunteer placement FAQs

What does the network do in Siem Reap?
It runs year-round education and community programmes in Siem Reap, Cambodia: children's learning and development sessions, adult English classes, gender-equality workshops with girls and women, and health, nutrition and sustainability activities. All projects are locally led and shaped by partner priorities.
Who can volunteer?
Programmes are open to volunteers from most backgrounds. Fluency in English is required, and a good general level of fitness is recommended, as you may walk 20-30 minutes to some project sites. A background check is mandatory for everyone, and where projects involve working with children you should bring clothing you don't mind getting dirty.
How long can I volunteer for?
Placements run from 1 to 12 weeks, with common durations of 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks. Programmes start every second week, on a Saturday.
Do I need previous teaching or volunteering experience?
No prior experience is required for the volunteer programmes. Staff provide briefings and guidance, and facilitators support you throughout. Optional add-on courses such as TEFL are available if you want to build teaching skills, but they are not a condition of joining.
What does a typical week look like?
Fieldwork is around 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday. On teaching projects you can expect to spend at least an hour a day working with children, with time also given to lesson preparation and support tasks. Days can be busy and schedules change, so flexibility helps. Weekends are usually free for rest or travel.
What is provided as part of the programme?
Programmes include accommodation, an airport pickup within the arrival window, pre-departure support and on-the-ground staff who run health and safety briefings and coordinate project work. For school placements, a partner school t-shirt is provided to wear on project and returned at the end.
What is the accommodation like?
Accommodation is in shared single-gender dormitory rooms, with up to four people per room and an en-suite bathroom. Rooms have air conditioning, a fridge, a hairdryer and a bed, with running water, western-style flush toilets, and bedding and towels provided. Facilities may be more basic than you are used to, so it helps to travel with an open mind.
How do meals and dietary requirements work?
Both western and Khmer food is available at local restaurants. Breakfast typically offers eggs, bread and fruit, while lunch and dinner include Khmer dishes such as noodles, rice and curries alongside western options. Vegetarian and other dietary requirements can be catered for, and you are free to eat out at your own expense.
How do I get there, and what are the arrival arrangements?
The arrival airport is Siem Reap Angkor International Airport, roughly a 50-minute drive from the base in Siem Reap city. Flights should be booked to arrive between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM on the programme start date. If you confirm in advance, staff will coordinate your airport pickup; arrivals outside the pickup window arrange their own transport.
Do I need a visa and travel insurance?
You need a valid passport with at least six months' validity from your arrival date. Most participants obtain a Tourist Visa (T Visa) or Business Visa (E Visa); these can be arranged before arrival via the official Cambodian government website, which takes a minimum of three business days. Comprehensive travel insurance covering medical and evacuation costs is compulsory.
What health and safety support is in place?
Staff are trained in emergency protocols and are qualified first aiders, and every location has a comprehensive first-aid kit. Health and safety briefings are given on arrival. There are several medical clinics in Siem Reap, including a 24/7 clinic a short tuk-tuk ride from the accommodation and a hospital about 5 km away. Only bottled or filtered water should be used.
How much spending money should I budget?
Participants typically spend around USD 40 per week on things like a mobile SIM, snacks and local outings while on base. Weekend excursions cost more and vary with the season. Carrying an emergency card approved for international use is recommended for unexpected costs.
How did the programmes start in Cambodia?
The first community hub in Cambodia opened in 2018 in Kampong Cham, on the Mekong River, beginning with English workshops at a local university partner and later expanding into healthcare and women's empowerment work. In 2022 the work moved to Siem Reap, including a partnership with a local pagoda to teach English to Buddhist monks.
How does the network measure its environmental impact?
Alongside its education and community work, the network tracks environmental activity such as site clean-ups, plastic waste collected and environmental workshops, and it monitors the carbon footprint of its operations. On average each participant generates about 46 kg of CO2 emissions per week during their stay, and the network works to reduce its environmental impact.
What's expected of me in the field, and will I teach on my own?
Your main role is to support the local class teacher as a native English-speaking role model and to run enrichment activities; independent teaching is not required. Everyone completes a background check and child-protection and safeguarding training, with clear guidance on interacting with children and how to report concerns, before any work begins. Responsible-technology, photography and gift-giving policies apply, and free-time conduct is expected to reflect the same respect for local laws and customs.
Can I volunteer in Cambodia?

Yes. The Impact Network Foundation works with one partner organisation in Cambodia: Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects, based in Siem Reap. You apply to it directly through this site.

What NGOs are there in Cambodia?

The NGO in the Impact Network in Cambodia is Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects, an independent community development organisation working in Siem Reap, in north-west Cambodia. It is one of eight NGOs in the network, and the network is deliberately small — every organisation in it is locally run rather than a field office of an international charity.

Are there NGOs in Siem Reap?

Yes — Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects works in Siem Reap, in north-west Cambodia. Its work is education and community development work.

What volunteer work can I do in Cambodia?

Education and community development work. Education and community learning with novice monks, children, women and other underserved groups — several distinct programmes rather than a single classroom placement.

How long can I volunteer in Cambodia for?

Placements run to fixed start dates set by the project, so the dates are published in advance rather than chosen by you.

Is this a local NGO or a volunteer agency?

Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects is an independent, locally run organisation. The Impact Network Foundation does not operate it, staff it or direct its work — the Foundation exists to connect volunteers to organisations like it and to publish what they achieve.

How do I apply to volunteer in Cambodia?

Apply on the Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects page on this site. Every applicant then has a short one-to-one call before a place is confirmed, so you can ask anything and the organisation can check the placement is a good fit.

Volunteer with Siem Reap Education and Community Development Projects

  • Free to apply
  • Supported by a local team
  • Your contribution supports the project directly

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At a glance

LocationCambodia
FocusCommunity Impact
Next placement3 Aug 2026
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