Volunteering Projects in Cambodia

Cambodia Program

Volunteers will be working as language teachers in a school project which provides affordable conversational English language courses for students. The aim of this project is to raise money for a local NGO working to improve livelihoods in rural communities in Cambodia. Students pay a small fee to attend the classes. In the past, the money raised by the language centre has been used to improve water and sanitation, for small livestock and agriculture production, and for community environmental awareness in rural Cambodia.

Volunteers teach conversational English classes which have around 10 students in each class. All students and teachers have books, from which to learn and teach. There is scope for volunteers to include their own exercises/games into each class. Most volunteers work up to 5 hours per day. Lesson plans and materials will be provided by the school to make preparation and teaching easier.

Apply for this program

The Application Process

Your application process is free and seamless, and if you are successful we will provide you with a choice of application fee payment options that include a secure online service. We also are one of the few organisations that allow you to transfer your application fee to another program at no extra cost.

Communication & Support:
Throughout the process, we are committed to working with you to answer any of your questions or concerns. During your placement we are also available as a form of support to you as a volunteer and will email you while in country to discuss how the program is going.

Volunteer Feedback

Jacob

"The conversational English format makes the classes a lot of fun, and I love my students. I spend a lot of my teaching time laughing and so do my students.

I really enjoy the volunteers at the house, all very cool people. The management staff are completely dedicated to the success of the school and the happiness of the volunteers. The staff and the teachers are like one big family and anytime I have needed help with anything they have always assisted me quickly and effectively."

Christina

"Things are going really well here in Phnom Penh . I'm teaching four classes a day: two level 5's, one level Advanced Discussion (9), and one level Advanced Communication (10). For the most part, the teaching is pretty interesting and the students are very enthusiastic. There are always a few speed bumps, but by now I've definitely gotten a routine down for each level, so it comes much easier.

The city is very fascinating. I've already been to the National Museum , the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum , the Killing Fields, and Wat Phnom. All of which were definitely worth the visits. A few of us volunteers also went down to Sihanoukville a couple of weekends ago. It was very beautiful and relaxing, except for our bus breaking down on the way back! We also went to a wonderful traditional Khmer dance and music performance last weekend, which included large shadow puppets. We're going to a traditional drum performance this weekend at the same theater.

I've still to see the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda, and we're planning on going to Siem Reap in a few weeks, so there are just a few major things left to do. I suppose this is a good thing, seeing as I'm winding my time down here. I've really enjoyed my stay here in Cambodia ; what an experience! CWF is a great organization; the staff are very friendly and helpful, and I think what they're doing with CRDT is very worthwhile. It has definitely been worth the time and energy to get here."

Kate

"A typical day involves up to 5 hours teaching. There is a housekeeper who brings breakfast and then cooks delicious lunches and dinners. It was a very sociable house. In my free time I would either go to the markets, use the internet or relax at home and prepare for my classes.

I went out to see some of the villages and the work that CRDT has been doing which was an amazing experience and further proved what a good cause I was working for. We were able to see a lot of the projects such as fish ponds, pig pens, biodigesters etc that they had worked on and meet the people that had benefited and I really felt like I had made a direct and extremely valuable contribution to Cambodia."

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Volunteer Journals

Three weeks and counting!

Monday, May 04th, 2009

Wow, I can’t believe that at this time in three weeks I will be packing up my stuff and getting ready to head to the airport….. 21 sleeps until the adventure begins.  It’s probably even harder to imagine because I am still sitting at work in a nice warm office with all the creature comforts at my disposal!!  Of course it’s also a little stressful, the fear of the unknown and all that, particularly the thought of the huge bloody spiders that live there, the lack of hot water and the fact that even with royal grade security Princess Eugenie [...]

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Welcome to Paradise

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

In talking with/writing to friends and relatives back home I have compared Sihanoukville to Queensland Australia?s Gold Coast, but actually I think it is more akin to Byron Bay in New South Wales. It has the same bohemian vibe. One long weekend, six of us volunteers headed down to Sihanoukville check out the beach scene. Our volunteer coordinator sorted out tickets to get us there. It is a bus ride of about four or maybe five hours, which seemed longer because the buses here invariably have some very loud Khmer music videos and stand-up comedians on the TV, which gets a [...]

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Packing for Cambodia: clothes

Saturday, October 25th, 2008

This was my biggest worry when packing for Cambodia – what on earth should I take to wear?! Here are my tips. Don’t bother bringing a jumper unless you need one for the plane. Don’t bother bringing more than two pairs of socks – thongs (by that I mean flip-flops) and sandals are the order of the day here. It’s worth bringing some sneakers but I wouldn’t worry about dress shoes. I know this isn’t clothing but don’t bring a sleeping bag or a mosquito net! You don’t need them. Do bring swimmers/bathers/togs/swimsuit/boardies – whatever you call them! One of [...]

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Please visit volunteerjournals.org for more journals and feedback from past volunteers

Articles

Helping out in Cambodia

A Takapuna resident is volunteering her skills in language for a three- month Cambodia trip. Fiona Whyte, a foreign exchange specialist, is looking forward to working with young Cambodian students through the Global Volunteer Network from November. "To live and work in Cambodia, to be able to offer my knowledge and skills, that’s the...

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