Cambodia Community Development Global Citizens
Discover the beauty and culture of Cambodia as groups work to support local community development projects.
Program information
Join GVI and discover Cambodia, where students will explore and participate in community development projects. By doing this students will contribute towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. GVI Cambodia has four focus areas: teaching, childcare, healthcare, and women’s empowerment. Volunteers will have the opportunity to lead a variety of workshops including developing computer skills, CV writing, access to resources for victims of domestic abuse, preventing the spread of HIV & AIDS, and understanding parental rights. Workshop topics can be chosen based on the university students’ specific skill sets and the interests and needs identified by community members. While participants will be working as a team, there will be numerous opportunities for students to hone their leadership skills and to take point on various aspects of the program.
The program will be a combination of exploring the culture, politics, and religion of Cambodia whilst also completing volunteer work, interacting with local community members, and participating in adventure and cultural activities. Free time and optional excursions will be built into the schedule, depending on the school’s wishes.
Program overview
Experience Cambodia’s stunningly beautiful temples and wats. Upon arrival at Phnom Penh, students are encouraged to take some time to acclimatise to the humidity and heat of this tropical capital city. The students will also enjoy an orientation tour of the surrounding area led by a GVI staff member or local guide, as they spend the first day in Cambodia exploring the Royal Palace and the local food markets.
Students will then journey to the Cardamom Mountains. From this lush location, students will trek through glistening rice fields, into the jungle, passing cascading waterfalls. In the evening they will spend the night listening to the jungle sounds whilst resting in their hammocks. The trek is led by experienced local guides who will also help the group to learn about jungle wildlife species, survival techniques, and the art of how to safely cook a meal over an open fire.
The group will then return to Phnom Penh and tour two of the capital city’s most important historic sites, the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Prison S21) and the Choeung Ek Center, which are both well worth the visit to understand Cambodia’s history.
The team will travel to Siem Reap to support and assist in our English classes or get involved in interactive activities that support students to learn English. Students may lead village clean-ups, activities, events, workshops, and sports days. They will be involved in a whole host of interactive learning and activities with local children of all ages. Students will have free time to experience local food as well as day trips to local villages and temples.
No trip to Cambodia would be complete without a visit to the spectacular Angkor Wat, an ancient and well-preserved structure, and the single largest religious monument in the world, covering over 400 acres of land and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is in this stunning location that students will end their journey and say their goodbyes.
*This overview is an example of the activities and project work that students might get involved in on this program. More specific details of the program are finalised several months before each start date and can be discussed further with your GVI Programme Coordinator. The overview shown here has been followed by our staff and student groups in the past.
Choose your bespoke itinerary
Program details
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Support & Safety
We won’t sugarcoat it — traveling abroad is usually a complex process that carries an element of risk. But this is exactly why we’re passionate about providing extensive support throughout the process as well as the highest safety standards during the in-country phase. We believe that volunteering abroad should not only be impactful, but an enjoyable experience that carries as little risk as possible. This is exactly how we’ve been able to maintain our reputation as the most highly respected volunteering organisations in the sector over the past two decades.
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Your Impact
All of our programs have short-, mid- and long-term objectives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualise their contribution to the UN SDGs.
Prior to your arrival on base, you will be educated about the UN SDGs. Then once you arrive on base, you’ll learn about the specific goals we have in this particular location, our various objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these.
Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to be an active global citizen after your program, helping to fulfil our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.
In Cambodia, we work in collaboration with our local partners on various community development and educational initiatives, where we aim to support their existing endeavours. Providing the community with English education enables students to access a broader range of employment opportunities. In Siem Reap, if you’re able to speak English, you have a much better chance of gaining employment in the tourism sector. Working in this sector usually means that community members have the opportunity to be promoted, earn a higher income, and improve their economic status, which is what many local residents aspire to do.
Our initiatives not only allow us to offer support to the community and our local partners, but also to address many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 1: No Poverty, Goal 3: Good Health & Well-being, Goal 4: Quality Education, Goal 5: Gender Equality, Goal 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth, Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities, Goal 12: Responsible Consumption & Production and Goal 17: Partnership for the Goals.
Project objectives
GVI Siem Reap long-term objectives:
1. To provide English education to the local community of Siem Reap, which will improve their employment and financial prospects.
2. To strengthen bonds with our current partners and develop new partnerships with local organisations in order to broaden our scope and the number of communities that we work within.
3. To empower local women and girls through education and training, and to raise awareness on gender equality in the local community.
4. To improve awareness around health and well-being, and provide basic tools and knowledge for maintaining hygiene and the prevention of NTD (neglected tropical diseases). Not currently.
5. To improve awareness and understanding of important environmental issues, and increase community participation in efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
Speak to alumni
If you’d like to find out what the experience of joining a GVI project is really like, simply contact us and we’ll put you in touch with one of our many Alumni.
We’ll try to match you to an Alum based on your location, nationality, age, stage of academic career, gender, and program interests. This allows you to gain insights into the experience that is most relevant to you.
Depending on your location you might be able to speak to an Alum over the phone or online, or meet up with them face-to-face at a coffee shop nearby. We also run a series of small events around the world where you can speak to GVI Alumni, Ambassadors and staff members.
Get a first-hand perspective
Want to connect with some of our past participants about their adventures? Get in touch with hundreds of friendly ambassadors all over the world who would be more than happy to answer any questions.
