Do Your Reviews Count?
You bet they do! A big thank you to all the volunteers and donors who took the time to write reviews on Great NonProfits website. We have 88 wonderful reviews telling potential donors about each and everyone of your personal experience. We depend on regular and frequent visits from our Western leaders and volunteers to measure our progress, get new ideas and continue to be inspired to do great work for CCDO!

Thank you once again! 
 
Water & Sanitation Tracker 2016
January 2016
On The Ground Report

Our January Volunteer Mission - A Success!

Californians do it again!

A group of 10 volunteers brought about 1000 lbs of donated supplies on their two week volunteer mission. It was international recycling at its best as every crayon, scrap of colorful paper, piece of clothing and donated toiletries was distributed and put to good use. Wonderful new experiences of making collages, playing with never before seen toys and puzzles were a joy for both the children and volunteers alike.

This was an especially meaningful mission as we had a number of repeat volunteers who came back and were amazed at the progress made in our schools, programs and villages. Our English classes, library facilities and sport activities are thriving. Our villages are cleaner than any other and our parents are attending school meetings and educational workshops in record numbers. We found out that the new computer lab is motivating many students to come to school and work harder as only the top students with great attendance rates have the privilege to be accepted into the computer classes. In fact the students are so proud and worried about the safety of the computers they are taking turns sleeping next door at the library and cultural room to guard the lab.  
 
Volunteer Group
For most of us who are used to cooler weather, we were excited when a cold front hit Siem Reap and brought the temperatures down to the balmy 60 degrees Fahrenheit. But of course we immediately noticed how cold the children were coming to school in the morning as many of them did not own shoes or sweaters. We hope we will be able acquire more warm clothing and shoes for the children in case of another cold front in the future!

All in all, the volunteer mission was a success! Thanks to all teacher trainers, computer whizzes, photography teachers, art makers, preschool overseers, toothbrush distributers-you were an incredible volunteer team! 

Top Team small
Top Teen Team (3T)
 
12 boys and girls with the most leadership potential were chosen from amongst our Secondary school students to supervise the cleanliness and function of the campus and make improvements. They are mentored by two of our English teachers Mr. Visal and Mr. Sitha. Their first task was to come to school on Saturday and move all the books and shelves from the old library to the new Cultural center. They have chosen their own name as Top Teen Team and will sport orange T shirts to complement our Green team that tends to the gardens and supervises hygiene on campus.

Old Classroom Foundation Removed

250 students and teachers participated in demolition and clean up of the foundation of the old school building. In its place will be a brand new and enlarged sports field.It was wonderful to see the principal of the Primary school Ms. Lucky taking the lead and being a role model to all by giving up her free time to volunteer.   

Galaxy Cleanup
Galaxy Soccer Field Clean Up
 
One aim of CCDO is to encourage our volunteers and students to play a bigger role in the whole of Siem Reap. In an effort to give back to their community, our soccer teams, coaches and staff organized another big clean up of the Siem Reap soccer field where they play tournaments every Sunday.

We are teaching our students about the importance of sportsmanship, team play, respect and responsibility. They might not score a goal or win at a game but they all or winners at heart!
 
Please Welcome Ms. Sony - Our New Community Worker
 
Ms Sony CW on right
 
We have been looking for a fourth community worker to round out our team and she has been hiding in plain sight all this time! Ms. Sony, who works as the vice principal of Kiriminoen Primary in the mornings, will join us on a part time basis. She will be of great value to our community Women's Health workshops.  We look forward to working with Ms. Sony! (Sony is the one on the right)

   
 
Fundraisers
We are excited to announce our first Cambodian fundraiser!

It will be held on Friday 26th February from 6-8pm at the new Grill Wine Cafe of the Memoire D'Angkor Hotel. 
CCDO has a long relationship with the hotel and their managing director, Phillip Kao and general manager, Sokun Set, are on the Khmer Board of CCDO. We thank all our sponsors who have generously donated raffle prizes for the event.
Celebrating our Volunteers
Volunteer Policies

Our general Volunteer Policy is that we want volunteers to commit for a minimum of 3 months. We do make exceptions for exceptional people, especially when they are focused on a certain area of improvement or have special skills.
 
New & Old Volunteers

We bid a fond adieu to MAJA MEGLIČ, from Slovenia. She was primarily in charge of working with our sports coaches on improving their sports program. But she managed to accomplish so much more in three short weeks! Besides conducting photography workshops to students and staff, she also worked on a hotel outreach project.

She has also included her volunteer experiences and observations in her travel blog, spreading the word about our work. Read all about her journey on her blog.
 
"In the first days after a crash course in volunteering and asking a lot of questions I learned I can contribute a lot, because these kids have nothing, in materials and experiences. A key lesson was: Don't volunteer doing manual labor like painting walls, because this is what local people can do. Volunteer by sharing your knowledge to improve skills of local people for them to learn, to improve and incorporate new ideas and skills into their life to be able to share with their peers and younger generation."
 
Carol & Ines
 
We are excited to welcome, CAROL DUSTER, from Colorado, USA. In their retirement, Carol and her husband Mark travel the world and volunteer, she in education and he, in pediatric surgery. They have been our long time supporters by donating water wells through the years.
 
"It has been a special blessing in my life to work with several NGOs over the last decade in SE Asia, and CCDO tops my list in passionate, loving work for our world. Thank you for opening the door for me to join your efforts for this month. I have loved every minute with your students and teachers! I wanted to tell you how proud I am of CCDO and everyone here who 'aspires to inspire'! I am overwhelmed by the dedicated teachers and staff here. They are passionate, caring, individuals who work long hours to teach a language that is not their native tongue. Never has a dollar been stretched to do so much good for so many deserving people."
 
INES RICHELLE from Belgium has been putting her TEFL certificate to good use, helping teach correct pronunciation through fun games to both students and our local English teachers. She is also coming up with creative art projects to enrich the library experience.
 
Thank You for Generous Donations

Remember: Ordinary people can do extraordinary things that make a difference in the world, ONE CHILD AT A TIME!

Cambodian Child's Dream Organization