The Cambodia Academy

The Cambodia Academy, one of The Patchwork Collective’s grantee partners, offers free education to more than three hundred and fifty rural Cambodian boys and girls who would otherwise not be able to attend school. Founded in 2004, the school provides accredited Khmer and English-based curriculum for grades one through nine, as well as meals, a school bus service, computer training, field trips, uniforms, supplies, and vision and dental programs for the students. It supports about 35 Cambodian faculty, operational, and administrative staff. A fully volunteer global Board provides executive direction, fundraising and IT functions as well as personal funding of programs.

Acting Executive Director Richard Howell, also a volunteer, was so drawn to the school and the country when he encountered them in 2008 that he first joined the Board, then quit his US-based job and moved to Thailand to be closer to the Academy and work on it full-time. “Economic pressures in rural Cambodia often drive one or both parents to work in Thailand, and day-to-day life for the grandmothers, mothers and children left behind can be challenging. This means that education is often not valued, and that the nominal costs for uniforms and school supplies required for attending a government school are out of reach. By removing these obstacles, The Academy offers hope for a better future to all our students and, by extension, to their communities.” Indeed, their current Vice-Principal was one of their first students, a proud milestone in their history.

“The education system in Cambodia was largely destroyed during the Khmer Rouge period,” says Richard. “It’s been a slow build back, government resources are very stretched, and the need remains great.” At the Academy, applications to enter far outstrip available places. The Principal, Vice-Principal, and senior faculty have to make hard decisions each year, typically based on the greatest level of need.

They started a meal program soon after they opened, realizing that for most of the children that was a critical need that couldn’t be met well at home. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 45 percent of Cambodians live in moderate or severe food insecurity. A cafeteria staff of four prepares the two daily meals in a recently upgraded school kitchen. 

They are supported largely by individual sponsorships of students, which requires a constant fundraising effort. Their dream is to establish an endowment large enough to make the school self-sustaining, including salaries so they can hire for positions such as the Executive Director, a hat Richard is temporarily wearing, along with many others.

Although the country could clearly benefit from more schools, the Academy has been focused on its evolution, choosing to expand offerings within the existing facility and ensure its ongoing sustainability, rather than spreading funds too thinly with multiple sites. A further expansion goal is to establish a more formal system for tracking graduates and potentially offering them university scholarships at the end of their high schooling. Currently their graduates are only tracked informally. 

The grant from The Patchwork Collective was given without restrictions on its use, and represented about 25% of the Academy’s annual budget. This offered a substantial opportunity to accomplish some major improvements. About a third of the grant went to establishing a thirty-five seat computer lab, with that portion of the grant being immediately matched by another donor. The computer lab is unique in this area and they’re working to expand access to other community members after school hours. Another third went to updating the kitchen so the staff could cook safely, using clean-cook propane stoves instead of wood-fired stoves. Every year, according to the United Nations, smoke from these stoves kills 1.9 million people, mostly women and children, from lung and heart diseases and low birth weight. The final third went to student tuition, which is the financial lifeblood of the organization.

Richard proposed giving The Patchwork Collective mid-year and year-end reports covering what the grant has made possible, and we have found that to be a more than sufficient measure of the funding impact. Our founder Marie was honored to visit the Academy in 2023, meeting the students, staff and faculty. The human impact was abundantly clear.

“We all have enough,” says Richard of his full-time volunteering effort. “It’s a secret of life to give back to people who don’t. As we continue to work for equality in rural educational access, we don’t just give the students an education, but hope for a better future, an understanding that they matter, and that we care and fight for them.”

The Patchwork Collective is proud to support this organization’s very special work.

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