Where we work
Our goal is to work with existing public schools rather than building our own private programs. There is no need to re-invent the wheel when there are already schools in place that are hungry for training and resources. We believe that the best way to create true sustainability is through working with school administrators and village leaders to build the capacity of the school to run on its own. This comes hand in hand with fostering the dedication of the community to support those efforts. We target schools in rural areas where the majority of the community is living in poverty and where most of the adults have lost the value of education through decades of war. Additionally, these schools are in fair proximity to Temples, where the allure of going out to work selling trinkets to tourists is greater than the allure of attending a poorly managed school lacking resources. In these areas where there is no push to go to school, our efforts are focused on creating a pull.
Preah Vihear Locations
KOH KER Primary School
Koh Ker Primary School is in rural Preah Vihear Province near the ancient temple complex of Koh Ker, one of the areas hit hardest by decades of conflict. When PLF arrived at the school in 2006, the 40 students attending Grades 1-3 were about the only healthy ones in their village. Today, we’ve expanded the school to Grade 6 for more than 180 students and in 2016 added a kindergarten. In the beginning, students started coming because of the health benefits of the PLF breakfast program. Today, we’ve expanded programs to include English classes, a library, and all-you-can-eat lunches three times a month. Graduates of Koh Ker Primary School now have a dedicated truck that brings them to the nearest Secondary School at Srayang, where they can also enroll at our Learning Center across the road.
ROMCHEK Primary School
Romchek Primary School is 25km from Koh Ker and has just over 250 students studying in Grades K-6. We began supplying uniforms and school supplies in the beginning of 2015, and the following fall we launched a lunch program and English courses, built a clean water system, an office building for the teachers, a Library, and a new kitchen area and dining hall. Graduates of Romchek Primary School now have a dedicated truck that brings them to the nearest Secondary School at Srayang, where they can also enroll at our Learning Center across the road.
Prey Kuol Primary School
Prey Kuol is in an extremely remote location that is only accessible for half the year. During monsoon season, the small road that leads there, usually traversed by tractor or four-wheel drive, is completely underwater. The challenges for the school and its 130 students are significant. We began improving the facility in 2017, putting in clean water, toilets, an administrative office, expanding their classrooms, and adding floors and more desks. At that time, the school could only serve students in grades 1-3 but with these improvements, can now take them all the way to completing grade 6. Currently, there is no way to transport students to Secondary School from Prey Kuol. The first group of graduates moved into a house together at Srayang to join us at the Learning Center.
Preah Vihear locations are projects of PLF Canada, executed by PLF Cambodia.
Siem Reap Locations
CHEY Primary School
Chey Primary School has over 1,000 students studying in grades K-6. The base of our support at Chey comes from supplying 500 of those students in need with supplies and uniforms at the beginning of each school year. We also provide Microsoft Office courses, robotic legos, supplementary English courses, solar power, a bicycle distribution for graduating 6th graders, ukulele club, chess club, and a secondary school scholarship program.
WAT BO Primary School
Wat Bo Primary School is an urban school in Siem Reap with over 6,000 students in grades K-6. It is one of the most highly developed public schools in the country and does not require PLF support. However, our work at Wat Bo involves providing access to this excellent school to over 600 students who otherwise would be unable to attend because of the requirement that they provide their own uniforms and school supplies. Bicycles are also given to graduating 6th graders and we follow those students along their journey through secondary school. PLF also provides internet services to the school to complement their existing computer classes as well as participates with the community in facility development of the campus.
KHNAR VILLAGE Learning Center
The Khnar Village Learning Center was the first situation in the history of our organization where working outside of the school created a favorable approach. This project supports more than 100 students currently studying at Khnar Primary School and graduates who have continued on to Secondary and High School. Our programs here include English, Science, IT, and Ukulele classes, Chess Club, Arts & Crafts, and a health station to meet the basic first aid needs of our students. We began our first Adult Education Program at KVLC, which provides a wide range of workshops to parents of PLF students on topics like domestic violence, family planning, and human rights.
SRAYANG Learning Center
Formerly known as Srayang Dormitory, Srayang Learning Center opened on the 11th of January 2021. A decade after we first established a base at Srayang, and following the success of KVLC, this was the natural next step. Instead of being restricted by the small number of beds reserved for only the highest of fliers, now all students from the Preah Vihear village primaries have the opportunity to pass our exam and access the high school at Srayang. They are transported in huge trucks back and forth from their villages each day. They have their government curriculum at the public school (just across the road), then lunch and extra activities at the Center, including English, Remedial Khmer and Math classes, Computer class, access to a library, informal study groups and Life Skill Workshops.
This is a project of PLF Canada, executed by PLF Cambodia.
SIEM REAP Scholars’ Dorm
PLF maintains two urban dormitories for high school students located just outside the center of Siem Reap city; one for boys and one for girls. These two dorms act as college preparatory facilities for students who come from rural areas without access to quality education. The opportunity to finish high school in Siem Reap Town while also gaining intensive extra programming from PLF well-prepares these students for university life in Phnom Penh.
This is a project of PLF Canada, executed by PLF Cambodia.
ULC (Urban Learning Center) & PLF HQ
Our newest venture, opened in 2022, brings to our urban program what PLF rural students have had access to for some time via our learning centers at Srayang and Knar, with extensive learning resources and a lending library of over 2500 titles. Additionally, ULC represents our biggest tech lift ever, comprising an IT lab with 14 terminals and classes available 7 days per week; on-site internet cafe for student use; and research rooms with study guides and online access. It also houses large workshop spaces for all the many gatherings, events and mentorship sessions our staff and older students regularly hold; as well as offices for our Operations, Tertiary & Administration teams – making ULC a one-stop-shop for all things PLF in Siem Reap city.