Ponheary Ly Foundation

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Ponheary Ly Foundation

The Ponheary Ly Foundation creates pathways to education for children and youth in Northern Cambodia. Because School is the Answer.

SCHOOL IS THE ANSWER

CNN Hero 2010
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive10/ponheary.ly.html The Ponheary Ly Foundation currently works with 2,800 students across Siem Reap and Preah Vihear Provinces and believes in a holistic approach to public school education. As well as providing school supplies and uniforms, nutritious meals and clean water, libraries are created, teacher trainin

g is improved, and solar energy is fitted to allow computer classes in off-grid areas. The government curriculum is enriched with language, science, sports, and the arts, including several forms of media. PLF ensures access to education for children from some of the most impoverished rural communities, and stands with our students from Kindergarten to High School and on to Vocational Training and University. PLF is accredited with both Great Non-Profits and Guidestar non-profit watchdogs.

09/07/2026

📣 Grade 12 results are in - and the news is incredible! 📣

Our tertiary team has been crunching the numbers, and we are thrilled to announce a historic 91% pass rate across the board (that's nearly 7% up on the national average!) 🥳

Gaining the high school diploma is a milestone that takes immense hard work and courage. For most of our students, it's also an achievement that their parents could only dream of, making us beyond proud of every single one of them. ✨

Special shoutout goes to these superstars who earned Grade A’s, putting them in the top 1% nationwide! And what's even more impressive is that they all conquered the Science track - widely considered as the tougher route to take. 🔬

Stay tuned for a deeper dive into our full results - and what’s next for these impressive high school grads!

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09/06/2026

"This photo was taken during a hands-on workshop on restoration and conservation. I found that I understood the material much more clearly here than during the theoretical lessons in class. In practice, we do everything ourselves—from mixing the mortar and applying it to cleaning and organizing the tools.

This skill is vital for my major. Restoration and conservation are about protecting, maintaining, and restoring broken artifacts to their original beauty. It is something every archaeology student should master because, after graduation, we can work in museum workshops, government institutions, or private agencies based on our abilities.

As for why I chose this major: it’s because of my love for history, exploration, and uncovering the knowledge buried in the past. In the future, I hope to become an archaeologist, though I can’t say for certain if that is exactly where I’ll end up. I might work at a ministry or become a civil servant, but my purpose remains the same. This field is incredibly beneficial for Cambodia, a country rich in culture and a glorious history. Our society needs people who study and understand this skill because, without archaeology, there is no history."

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09/04/2026

🚀 Explore Field Trip! ✨

Every year, Explore II students have the opportunity to do extra research for their temples projects at the បណ្ណាល័យព្រះបាទជ័យវរ្ម័នទី៧ Jayavarman VII Library on the outskirts of Siem Reap - going beyond the digital research they have already been doing in class.

This small but wonderful museum is beautifully set in the middle of the rice paddies and is a veritable treasure trove, with models of the temple sites and various artifacts that blow the students minds! Museum founders Kosal and Theany are passionate about sharing the history of the temples to the community, and the students love discovering new temple facts, being able to ask a lot of questions, and get up close to some very cool old objects!

"𝘋𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱, 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘒𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘴, 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦'𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘒𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘴!"

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09/01/2026

And massive congratulations to these hospitality heroes!

Another proud graduation event this week as Sovanna (left) completes her chef training and Sreyyourn in restaurant service from the very prestigious Sala Baï Hotel & Restaurant School in Siem Reap.

A very happy moment as they celebrate a year of hard work; and get ready to apply all of that learning into their new workplaces.

Super proud of you both!

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08/31/2026

👩‍🍳 Huge congratulations to these young masterchefs! 👨‍🍳

Kream (left, from Romchek village in Preah Vihear) and Nyrann (from Chey, Siem Reap province) have earned their culinary spurs from the best of the best at HAVEN Cambodia; and have graduated with flying colors with their proud families in attendance.

We are so grateful to our friends at Haven, who every year take a number of PLF students and guide them lovingly through a year of training. Students choose either kitchen or F&B skills, and learn English and complementary skills that prepare them for the world of work.

These two superstars will now be heading off to internships specially arranged by Haven for the next step in their professional journeys.

Awkun tom tom to Sara, Paul, Chef Pardet and the whole Haven family 💖🙏 And so proud of you Kream and Nyrann! 🥳

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08/28/2026

✨ 𝟮𝟬 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗟𝗙 ✨ 𝙋𝙇𝙁 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙙 𝙈𝙮 𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚, 𝙏𝙤𝙤!

Witnessing how important school is to a child who might otherwise go without opens eyes and shifts perspectives, and has turned many first-time visitors into lifelong advocates.

Years ago, Jordan visited Siem Reap as a college student. That trip shaped her future, leading her to start her own non-profit, Souljourn Yoga, focusing on supporting women’s empowerment.

When visitors see firsthand how hard these students work for an education - something so many of us take for granted - it creates a lasting connection. They leave inspired to make their own difference in the world.

That’s the PLF ripple effect in action! 💫

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08/24/2026

Starting the week off with wide-eyed wonder! 🌍 ✨

Our libraries are full of resources that ignite curiosity in students, and stretch their horizons!

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08/21/2026

⚛️ 𝗧𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗮 - 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗠 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿! ⚛️

From sleepy Siem Reap to one of the most prestigious colleges in Phnom Penh ... this high-flying superstar landed a place at Paragon University where she is nearing the end of year 1 in her Civil Engineering major.

Tin Ta represents both our focus on STEM scholarships, as well as the 65% of PLF awards going to young women.

Tin Ta, your hard work and resilience is so impressive. And we can't wait to see how far these qualities will take you! 🚀

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08/18/2026

“𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘗𝘓𝘍 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵!”

Huge shout out to these uni legends for leading a bumper mentorship expedition to Thaiso lower secondary school in rural Siem Reap. Altogether they reached more than 100 middle schoolers, sharing motivation on study tips, balancing daily activities and how to set goals. The day was split up into several groups, and all mixed with a good dose of fun activities.

Grade 7-9 can be difficult years for many students, as they navigate the transition from primary school, and face the increasing pull to help with their family's living expenses instead of studying. Meeting the older mentors helps to remind them of the long-term value of staying in school, and visualize what a future with education can look like.

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08/15/2026

Sports Day for primary schoolers!

As the school year winds down, these kids can let loose and have fun 🤩 Especially rewarding for Grade 6, as they complete the first big milestone in their educational journey.

4 rounds of games, fierce but friendly competition, and all-you-can-eat noodles to replenish their energy!

Well done to all for your sporting spirit 🌟 And huge thanks to all location teams, for putting on such a great morning. 🙌

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Address

PO Box 17034
Austin, TX
78760

Telephone

+15125893921

Website

http://www.theplf.org/

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