Spean Chivit

We love it when young people show initiative and tell us they want to grow.

Some months back Rany, a school graduate and participant in our Future Focus program, came to us and said she wanted something to do when she comes to Spean Chivit. So we created a project for her.

Knowing that sharing food is a great connector and a way to hold meaningful discussions with youth, we had been tossing around ideas.

We gave Rany the project to make a shortlist of possible foods that would appeal to Cambodian youth. Once she did that she created a survey, helped distribute the survey, then analysed the results. The winner was fresh spring rolls.

The next step was to work out the ingredients and to cost them so we could decide if it would be viable to make the project happen.

Rany met with Dav, another of our Future Focus participants, and a chef at The Secret Garden Hotel & Restaurant, Siem Reapl. Dav listed the necessary ingredients and together they went to the market to cost them. They came back with a final price.

We reached out to WILD - Siem Reap to see if they could sponsor the activity once a month and they said yes!

Yesterday we held our first Spring Roll Thursday event (it has a much nicer name in Khmer) and it was a wonderful success, doing everything we hoped it would.

Young people coming together to prepare and cook food, chatting around the table. Pheary leading the group with a series of icebreaker questions to help boost conversation. It created connection and small steps in building confidence. And the spring rolls were delicious (big thanks chef Dav).

Rany got to see the complete process of a project, from research through to implementation and she has something very solid to add to her CV.

As someone very introverted, it also helps her, and other young people, realise that leadership doesn’t have to be loud. You can quietly go about getting things done, and we think that’s an important lesson.

Chef Dav, who volunteered to cook, also has a meaningful community project to add to his CV.

Big, big thanks to WILD for helping us make this happen. We love this community. We will do this again next month.

Here are a few images and videos. Stay tuned for the final video of the project.

យើងពិតជាស្រលាញ់និងពេញចិត្តអ្នកស្ម័គ្រចិត្តរបស់ពួកយើងយ៉ាងក្រៃលែង!

សួនខាងក្រោយដ៏កំសត់របស់យើងត្រូវបានទុកចោលយ៉ាងក្រៀមក្រំហើយដុះជិតទៅដោយព្រៃ។ អ្នកគ្រប់គ្នាបានសហការគ្នាក្នុងការសំអាត។

ស៊ីណាគឺជាយុវជនមួយតាំងពីដើមរបស់យើង គាត់បានមកតាំងពីឆ្នាំ2022. គាត់បានបញ្ចប់វិទ្យល័យហើយរវល់ជាមួយនិងការរៀននៅមហាវិទ្យាល័យដូចនេះយើងមិនសូវបានឃើញគាត់ញឹកញ៉ាប់នោះទេ ប៉ុន្ដែគាត់តែងតែសប្បាយចិត្តក្នុងការមកនឹងជួយសម្អាតសួន។

ហ៊ាងជាយុវជនដែលបានបញ្ចប់កម្មវិធី Future Focus ជាមួយយើងមួយចំនួនហើយកំពុងតែបញ្ចប់ការរៀនថ្នាក់ទី12គាត់ក៏តែងតែស្ម័គ្រចិត្តក្នុងការជួយធ្វើការក្នុងសួនផងដែល។

យើងពិតជាពេញចិត្តយ៉ាងក្រៃលែងនៅពេលដែលយុវជនរបស់យើងចូលមកជួយនៅពេលដែលយើងត្រូវការ

អរគុណយ៉ាងក្រៃលែងសម្រាប់ ស៊ីណា ហ៊ាង លីវិន ស្រីអាននិងរ៉ានីដែលបានចូលរួមជាមួយរ៉មនិងវឌ្ឈនាក្នុងរសៀលថ្ងៃសោរ៍
វានៅច្រើនទៀតក្នុងការធ្វើហើយពួកគេមួយចំនួននិងវិលត្រលប់មកជួយទៀតសម្រាប់ចុងសប្ដាហ៍នេះ

We love our volunteers!

Our poor back garden has been sadly neglected ,and the jungle was taking over. These guys stepped up to help clear it.

Sina is one of our original youths, who has been coming since 2022. He has left school and is busy with university, so we don’t see him very often, but he is always happy to come and help clear the garden.

Heang, who has done several Future Focus programs and is finishing his grade 12 studies, is also always quick to volunteer in the garden.

We love when our youth jump in to help when we need.

Big thanks to Sina, Heang, Lyvin, Rany and Srey Ann, who joined Rorm and Vathana on Saturday afternoon.

There’s still loads to do, and some will come back this weekend.

អង្គការ CWC អាជ្ញាធរជាតិអប្សរា Apsara National Authority បានដោះលែងសត្វ រញីប្រផេះ ចំនួនមួយក្បាលអោយរស់នៅក្នុងដែនធម្មជាតិព្រៃអង្គរ នៅថ្ងៃទី០៨ ខែមិថុនា ឆ្នាំ២០២៦

CWC and Apsara National Authority released a Northern Slow Loris into the Angkor Natural Forest on June 8, 2026.

𝙀𝙊𝙁𝙔 𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧

Australian businesses can turn end-of-year success into long-lasting impact, supporting Cambodian youth to build skills, confidence and future employment pathways.

At Spean Chivit, we’ve had more than 11,000 youth visitations in the past three years, providing a safe space for learning, leadership development, personal growth, study support and career guidance.

Join us to create impact!

Donations to our Unlock the Future campaign are tax-deductible in Australia, New Zealand, US and UK.
https://gdg-j2000nx.raiselysite.com/

ណែមជុំនួបយុវជន
តោះមកចូលរួមញុាំឆ្ងាញ់ៗហើយសប្បាយៗជាមួយយើង​​​​

Big thanks to WILD - Siem Reap for sponsoring this event.

It was the morning of my birthday in January 2020, and I sat on the steps of what is now Spean Chivit and just cried. Really hard.

I was completely overwhelmed with the enormity of what I had done, the HUGE, empty building behind me, a big, bare garden and no set plan.

I had taken a leap of faith. I started before I was ready. I started without all my ducks in a row, because I knew if I didn’t, if I kept planning, talking, thinking, dreaming, it would never happen. And because I believed so passionately in the project, I thought things would fall into place. I thought others would believe in my vision and come along for the ride.

It is one of the bravest, and arguably, stupidest things I have ever done – and I’ve jumped out of an aeroplane and backpacked through war-torn countries.

What I hadn’t counted on was the sheer loneliness of undertaking such a venture, with no partner to share the financial and emotional burden.

And despite believing totally in what I had set out to do, I had not accounted for the imposter syndrome that would set in – the terrifying thought that those already doing amazing things would think I don’t belong.

It is only now, as I reflect on the journey, that I realise how crippling imposter syndrome was. I did not share what I was doing loudly enough. I quietly set about trying to do everything, thinking I was not worthy of support, yet at the same time believing wholeheartedly that the project was. It was a psychological mind-f**k.

Then Covid hit, my fears rose and the dream seemed about to die before it had even taken flight. The following two years were tough on so many fronts, but thanks to an amazing landlord, who didn’t require rent for the rest of 2020 and only 50% for the next two years, we somehow got through.

I was so naive.
On reflection my approach was very Field of Dreams – build it and they will come. But of course, they didn’t. Despite what I already knew about Cambodian culture, I was not prepared for how difficult it would be to get youth into a space like this – such a very new concept for them, and I didn’t have the language to explain it. Added to that the cultural and age barriers.

When Rorm joined three years ago, things finally started to shift. He brings such a wealth of skills, and he very quickly understood my vision – and added his own thoughts. And finally, because he is such a great networker, youth started coming and our programs and activities increased. We launched a pilot of our flagship Future Focus program, which was hugely successful. What he and I achieved together in the last half of 2023 still blows me away.

But while the youth came – we’ve had more than 11,000 visitations since the start of 2023 – the money didn’t and the project continued to struggle, operating month-to-month. Constantly planning for growth, while also planning for closure. The stress of those two contradictions is hard to describe.

When we finally received a small grant from USAID, I rejoiced, thinking the tide had turned and we could take flight. But it was short-lived. First the intense pressure of reporting required by such a small, already stretched team, took its toll on us. But the abrupt withdrawal of funds with the change of government, was devastating.

The last 18 months have been tough – emotionally, financially exhausting, with ever-rising stress levels, exacerbated by global events beyond our control. Doors have cracked open, then slammed in our faces. We’ve pivoted. We created a whole new leadership series for local businesses – a series we put together in two weeks, operating on the fly, preparing at the last minute, and somehow pulling off something with huge impact.

I’m proud of what we achieved. It was exhausting. My brain didn’t rest, Rorm was constantly on the go, our interns held the fort. We somehow kept it all together and made an impact, with businesses and with our youth.

To say I’m tired of this endless month-by-month existence is an understatement. And I can’t keep it up. Yet, I’m still here. I’ve discovered an inner grit that had long been buried and just maybe a competitive spirit that doesn’t like to lose. Or perhaps it is the reality that if I lose, hundreds of young people also lose.

Today, sitting on a lime green lounge, looking at scratched red tables, with Cambodian rap playing through our Karaoke speaker, I am proud of how far we have come on this journey. Our stairs are cluttered with shoes, the once-empty building is filled with an eclectic mix of furniture and my heart sings with the buzz of young people laughing, chatting, studying, strumming a guitar.

The vision has, at least in part, become a reality. While growth has been enormous for me and the centre, the anxiety, fears and overwhelm of that January 2020 me, persist. The path forward remains uncertain, and I am afraid of what that means for the centre and for our youth.



If you’d like to help us continue this work, you can support or share our Unlock the Future campaign here: https://gdg-j2000nx.raiselysite.com/