Teaching and Assisting in Schools (Four-week minimum)

For young Cambodians, English language and basic computer skills are essential prerequisites for entry into many jobs but the opportunity to learn these is not available to everybody, principally due to cost. By volunteering to teach in Cambodia, you give a leg-up to youngsters towards attaining better future employment.

Volunteers, who must 18 or older assist local teachers, or take classes themselves and are encouraged to bring with them games, songs or teaching materials bring those along - fresh ideas are always welcome! Depending on the volunteer’s skill areas, activities tend to include: delivering lessons in basic computer skills, mathematics, economics, Spanish, music, arts, Japanese, basketball, drama, German, geography, health etc.; producing lesson plans; preparing and evaluating tests and helping with clerical and translation duties. Specific qualifications are not required but some experience is an advantage.

Teaching and Childcare in Orphanages (Two-week minimum)

With 30% of Cambodians subsisting on less than $1.50 US a day and HIV presenting a sizeable problem, orphan numbers are high. Not all the children housed in orphanages are technically orphans; in some cases, their parents cannot manage to support them. Others have been victims of abuse and as such require a sensitive approach.

Volunteers, depending on the level of their skills, might lend their assistance by teaching English, mathematics, basic IT, geography or arts, by helping with homework and with personal hygiene, by organising games and trips, and by carrying out general maintenance and upkeep of the buildings.

Health (Twelve-week minimum)

There is a high demand for volunteer nurses, doctors and health specialists in Cambodia. Placements are for volunteers aged 19 and over in hospitals, health centres, on health education programs (in Schools, Communities and Universities), and in orphanages. A medical qualification is not an essential requirement. Attendance for a minimum of twelve weeks is required.

Depending on the placement and the volunteer’s prior skill, duties can include giving general health care; counselling patients; supervising staff; researching and putting together health documents (e.g. on HIV/AIDS); helping ill and HIV infected patients (with feeding, dressing, teaching, playing games) and organising educational workshops.

Architecture, Civil Engineering and Urban Planning (Twelve-week minimum)

Volunteers on programs that deal with Cambodian land rights, engineering, architecture or urban planning need to be at least 20 years of age and must have some experience and knowledge in this specific field. Among the reasons for the urgent need for improvement are: land conflicts which lead to poor and vulnerable Cambodians being forcefully evicted from their homes; poor roads and inadequate bridges hindering travel and transportation, and an insufficiency of water and irrigation systems. With a shortage of funds targeted at these projects, volunteers’ assistance and fresh ideas are greatly appreciated.

Just some of the contributions volunteers can make are the following: community and town planning, in particular new towns for the evicted Cambodians; working on water supply projects; reviewing government policies and guidelines, and conducting training sessions or workshops for students or staff.

Community Development (Five-week minimum)

Volunteers aged 18 and over with a desire to support communities facing poverty, land conflicts, discrimination among other social problems, can take on Community Development responsibilities, working closely with needy target groups. The role can involve: helping to monitor the human rights situation and investigating violations; protecting the rights of children and women; teaching English and human rights in local schools, helping to develop new teaching methods; visiting the relevant communities and participating in organising events and training sessions designed to improve the situation in the community.

Attendance for a minimum of five weeks is mandatory. Please note that Community Development placements are mainly in rural areas, where accommodation is traditional and therefore basic.

Law and Human Rights in Cambodia (Five-week minimum)

Volunteering for a Cambodian Human Rights NGO enables you to support people who face discrimination and human rights violations, including families forcefully evicted from their homes, women who have suffered domestic violence and girls and children who have been trafficked, abused and exploited.

Volunteers on Human Rights placements in Cambodia – who must be 19 years of age or older – help monitor the human rights situation and investigate violations. They might also assist in arranging public forums and workshops, in implementing new Human Rights Projects, writing reports and case studies, teaching English to staff members and developing ideas new initiatives.

Attendance for a minimum of five weeks is mandatory and some experience within this field is a requirement.

Environmental Protection (Five-week minimum)

There are many reasons to bring your energy and enthusiasm to bear on Cambodia’s environmental plight. Among other challenges are the many endangered species, not least the tiger and Asian elephant. While parts of the country are still covered with evergreen forest and century-old trees, the twin blights of illegal hunting and logging critically endanger both wildlife and the livelihoods of some indigenous communities. With insufficient funding for materials and equipment, the ingenuity and fresh which volunteers bring are greatly sought after.

Volunteers aged eighteen or over with some experience in this field can assist Cambodians to protect their environment by taking part in Eco-tourism, Natural Resource Management, conducting studies to assess problems, providing training and giving English lessons both to project staff and members of target communities.

This course requires a five week commitment. For additional info or if you have any questions drop us a line.

Vocational Training (Four-week minimum)

Placements are available in the IT or service sector in Cambodia to volunteers aged 18 and over. By sharing your enthusiasm, skills and experience, working alongside youngsters for whom free formal vocational training is not available, you can have an impact on the country’s prosperity. Placements include IT consulting, teaching electronics, assisting in a hairdressing school for orphans, as a construction worker, building amenities for poor communities, working as a waiter, receptionist, cook or hotel manager and providing training in these fields and, finally, teaching English.

Attendance for a minimum of four weeks is mandatory and some experience and background in the chosen field is necessary.

Media (Five-week minimum)

Volunteering in the field of media and communications affords an especially deep insight into Cambodian culture. Volunteers who contribute their labour to free media will be raising awareness about health (HIV/AIDS), women's and human rights and democracy.

Those involved in the project may carry out some or all of the following activities: production of TV and radio programmes, short films and documentaries; website development; checking and correcting English; researching and writing articles and fundraising. Attendance for a minimum of five weeks is mandatory and some experience within this field is an advantage.

Social Work (Five-week minimum)

Volunteers with a caring and compassionate outlook and who are aged 18 or older with some prior experience are invited to apply for a social work placement. Carrying out regular field visits, they will be involved with the following groups: abused children, people infected with HIV, suffering addiction or with special needs, as well as victims of domestic violence.

Depending on the individual volunteer’s skills levels, they may contribute the following: mediation and counselling; support in developing life-skills, advocacy and awareness raising, Psycho- Social support, delivery of workshops and case study and report writing. Attendance for a minimum of five weeks is mandatory.