Aim and objectives

Our aim is the moral reconstruction of Cambodia. To achieve this aim, we set out two objectives:

1 - Return self-esteem to the Cambodian people

Khmer people are very proud of their past but the present is a stigma of which they are ashamed. 'Khmer' has come to mean poor quality, incompetence, corruption, dishonesty, greed, everything negative one can come up with. More than anything else these feelings are destroying the country from within. This self-contempt goes hand in hand with a fascination with anything Western. We want to change the image of Cambodia, and to do so, we have to reconcile them with themselves, make them come to term with the past and move on. The road is long and the task challenging.

2 - Foster communication and solidarity between Cambodians from all walks of life, inside and outside the country

TARGETED AREAS : Education & Environment

Education because it is the key to a brighter futur for any country around the world. Our children are the futur adults of the Kingdom of Cambodia and we need them to be able to write, read and above all, think by themselves. Education is what Mouy You, the school Director, knows best and this is what she wishes to share with the citizens of her country.

Environment, because it is an urgent issue; like everywhere else in the world, the environment in Cambodia is rapidly deteriorating. We feel an environmental education from early childhood is crucial if things were to change.

STRATEGIES : 3 main themes

• Children & mass education

We must invest massively in children's education. We believe in building a sound foundation for the economic and moral development of Cambodia. Children are the driving force of society. They can influence their parents' way of thinking better than any campaigner could. Quality education and not second rate education is the key. We want to make it accessible to Khmer children. Quality education meaning one which is open to the outside world and on par with schools in the West but at the same time strongly rooted in our culture. The aim is to strengthen the children's identity and make them proud of it, not to alienate them from their own culture.

• Training & job creation

The staff working at Seametrey are trained on a daily basis weather it is in at here, in Cambodia or abroad. They learn about computer skills, English, general knowledge, administration and organisation knowledge (through our guest house), and of course about the Montessory approach. Maybe you wish to support financially one of our teachers. You may help us by making a donation which will permit our staff to access to a complete Montessori training and an official diploma. By training our young teachers, we wish to allow the Seametrey children Village to endure. Please click here to learn more about donations.

• Building a self-reliance mentality & national solidarity

The near-total destruction of the Cambodian society and infrastructure by the Khmer rouge has drawn sympathy and substantial aid from major donor countries which has made the resurrection of Cambodia possible. But at the same time, it has developed a dependent mindset leading to self-indulgence. People get used to living of hand-outs, even expect them. This leads to an erosion of self-esteem and self-confidence. While we know that aid is crucial and Cambodia cannot do without, Seametrey strives to build up a self-reliance attitude and restore self-esteem to the Cambodian people by focusing on the positive sides of their culture and building up national solidarity through social integration. We believe only self-reliance can lead to sustainable development.

This concern for self-reliance and national solidarity is constantly applied in all our projects. The Seametrey Children's Village is a school where rich and poor children work together. Parents pay according to their income and when we need fund to develop the school we set up a business (see our guest house). Eventually help did come along from organisations and good-willed people. As the saying goes, help yourself and God will help you. It's what Seametrey has been doing since its creation.