CURRENTLY THESE ARE OUR GREATEST NEEDS
RICE: THE FUEL FOR SCHOOL
Across all the communities where we work, rice is the very foundation of life. It is comfort, nourishment – and survival. When a household runs out of rice, children cannot focus, cannot learn, and often cannot come to school at all. Hunger takes over everything else.
For many families in the Chreav community on the outskirts of Siem Reap, food insecurity is exceptionally dire. Without rice, children stop coming to school. Some stay behind to work, others simply cannot concentrate due to hunger.
Most families rely on seasonal, low-paid labour, and when work dries up or a parent falls ill, there is no savings buffer to fall back on. Food disappears quickly, and school attendance drops just as fast.
Without the Chreav Food Bank, these students fall through the cracks.
It costs just $15 a month to provide rice for a whole family. By providing this support, you are keeping students in classrooms. You are easing the pressure on parents.
You are making sure a basic need is met so a much bigger dream can be fulfilled.
KEEPING GIRLS IN SCHOOL ALL YEAR ROUND
Give the gift of dignity and equity this holiday season, with these menstrual hygiene kits that ensure girls never need to miss a day of school – just because they have their periods.
For youngsters on the cusp of puberty, understanding how the body works is crucial – especially when this information is lacking at their government schools and often in their homes too. That’s why our workshop program includes Growth & Change sessions on physical & emotional health, so that youngsters are fully prepared for the changes that they are about to experience. In these sessions, we distribute menstrual hygiene kits for middle school girls, which contain washable, reusable pads, making them much more economically- and environmentally-friendly than disposable alternatives. The kits also contain a period tracker so that girls can understand their cycles.
You can say HECK YEAH to keeping girls in school – every day of the month – by clicking through to the campaign!
Alternatively if you’re planning a trip to Siem Reap and are checking in at LAX, let us know if you’ve got enough luggage allowance to bring packs over from our supplier 🙂
FEED OUR HUNGRY BOOKWORMS!
Reading is one of the first stepping stones of learning, and those early, positive experiences with books set the tone for a child’s whole school journey. When kids read for pleasure as much as for study, we are confident they will go far.
We have 8 libraries in total, that’s a lot of shelves to keep stocked! Each year we refresh our collections with new, engaging titles so that there’s always something exciting waiting to be discovered. Our librarians also host regular reading events and invite parents along, so they can encourage their children’s reading habits, and in many cases, begin to discover the joy of books for themselves.
For 2026, we want to keep all 8 libraries buzzing with readers young and old. It costs just $2,000 a year to keep the shelves refreshed and the stories flowing. Your support made this possible in 2025, can we count on you again to keep the love of reading alive for hungry bookworms?
FROM CURIOSITY TO CAREERS
Our science curriculum is growing stronger each year, expanding far beyond what students receive at public school, where lessons still rely almost entirely on limited, Cambodia-centric textbooks. By adding practical experiments and hands-on activities, we give students the chance to experience science, not just memorize it – sparking curiosity, confidence, and creativity along the way.
We know that exposing children early to STEM pays high dividends and our focus begins in the lower grades, with Science Labs at the heart of that effort. Every time we light that spark of discovery, more students are inspired to choose the science track in Grade 12 and eventually step into Cambodia’s growing STEM workforce.
Today, 68% of our University Scholarships are in STEM fields. That is no accident, but the direct result of introducing hands-on science classes at the very start of a student’s learning journey.
Your support ensures that students don’t just read about science, but get to see it, touch it, and test it for themselves. It’s this kind of learning that ignites a love of STEM and guides students toward careers that will shape Cambodia’s future.
With just $2,000, we can make it all happen. Will you help us spark the next wave of STEM innovators in Cambodia?
- Target $2,000
UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
Due to our finely-tuned programs in the earlier grades, we are approaching the crucial tipping point of having as many students in secondary and tertiary education as in primary, with more students staying the course through school and getting to the Grade 12 national exam. With those G12 graduates in turn breaking into higher levels of academic achievement, we need to grow our high school, university and vocational training scholarships program accordingly.
Ensuring that students from impoverished families achieve their full potential and take advantage of the same opportunities as the elite is always our goal. Developed to offer the best chance of success at the critical junctures of a student’s learning journey, our scholarship programs enables them to go on to further education, better job prospects, and contribute to a more equitable future for their communities and their country.
Donating to our scholarship fund today can help students’ dream futures come true tomorrow!
FULL TUMMIES = SWITCHED ON BRAINS
Alongside the filling and nutritious breakfasts we serve every single day at our most remote schools in Koh Ker and Romchek, we also love to throw in a special treat: monthly all-you-can-eat lunches!
For kids who’ve grown up with food insecurity, it’s so important that meals feel reliable and plentiful. When children know that “food doesn’t come and go, it comes and stays- we can count on it” then their little brains are finally free to focus on school instead of their next meal.
These lunches are always a hit, students tuck in with full hearts (and even fuller bellies) and are encouraged to take extra servings home to share with their families.
Before Covid, we could count on lots of visitors to Cambodia to help make these feasts possible. Post-Covid, visitor numbers still aren’t back to where they used to be – but the good news is, you don’t need to be here in person to make it happen!
Last year, your support made it possible to bring these joyful lunches. Let’s do it again this year!
OUR OTHER PROGRAMS
PLF’s comprehensive strategy involves many more programs – developed and honed over time – that work together to ensure disadvantaged students can access school.
You can check these out on our Programs page, and designate your gift during the donation process to let us know where you would like it applied.
Contributing to ANY of our intitatives keeps students in class and on the road to successs!
Looking for another way to join in? Head over to our Get Involved page and see if there is something just right for you!