TBeng Primary School

In 2010 HIHF began to realize that orphanages, per se, were often counter productive, regardless of how good the intention.  Build a beautiful orphanage and a woman down the street with nine children would likely drop off number ten at the front door.  We learned that if one really wants to help the people in a developing country, it’s necessary to “go up stream”.  Education, it seems to us, is key.

We contacted a Chiang Mai based NGO called Child’s Dream which had been building schools in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia for several years.  We told them of our wish to build a school in Siem Reap — their reply was negative.  Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, is a rich city on Cambodian standards.  Child’s Dream suggested we build in what may be the poorest part of Cambodia.  They knew just the place — TBeng, a couple hours drive north of Siem Reap.  The school the students were then using was a death trap — it looked like a strong wind, maybe even not so strong, would bring the whole thing down.  We went to the opening ceremony in the early summer of 2011, and have continued to support the school with needed  supplies and necessities for the villagers.