Volunteer with Children in Cambodia

Work with children in Cambodia and provide a fun and supportive environment for them to learn and grow in

Destination

Cambodia

Age

16+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

Anytime

Accommodation

Apartment

What’s included

Transportation

To and from the airport, plus everything in between. Daily transport to your placement and back.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

Pre-departure Support

Everything you need to prepare for your trip, including visa advice, cultural awareness training, access to your dedicated pre-departure portal, and more.

Socials & Fun

Regularly organized social events with other participants.

Request info

Starting at €1,895 EUR for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments
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Trip Overview

Support classroom success

Work alongside and learn from experienced childcare professionals, helping them deliver interesting and engaging classes and relieving stress.

Help make learning fun

Organise and run educational activities to help local children develop essential literacy, numeracy, and social skills, fostering school success.

Improve hygiene practices

Help children understand the importance of good hygiene through engaging and interactive activities, improving the general health of young people.

Explore Cambodia's wonders

Visit the magnificent Angkor Wat and surrounding temples of Siem Reap, trek through lush jungles, or snorkel and relax on pristine beaches.

Enjoy a rewarding experience

Broaden your horizons, leave a lasting positive impact on local children, and develop new skills while fully supported by local Projects Abroad staff.

What you need to know

Overview

If you enjoy working with young kids and want to support their education while travelling in Asia, then working with children in Cambodia is for you. You’ll become part of our ongoing efforts to improve early childhood education at disadvantaged care centres.

You don’t need previous experience to join. You’ll support local teachers and caregivers, and Projects Abroad staff are there to help you if you need it.

Before you start, you’ll receive a thorough induction to the project and your Projects Abroad Coordinator will explain in detail what’s required of you. You’ll have access to a database full of resources such as worksheets, class activities, and creative games. In addition, we run regular workshops for all our Childcare and Teaching volunteers in Cambodia. You can exchange ideas, discuss challenges, and more.

This is a great way for you to help where it’s needed most and learn new skills at the same time. You’ll gain childcare experience, and hone personal skills like communication and problem solving.

Our Childcare Project in Cambodia runs throughout the year and you can join at any time. We recommend staying as long as possible to make a bigger impact.

A Day in the Life

The smell of a fresh Cambodian breakfast will greet you every morning as you wake up in the apartment to start your day. After freshening up and refueling, a tuk tuk organised by Projects Abroad will pick you up and drive you to your placement.

A typical work day will run from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday. You’ll arrive in the morning and start the day with English classes. After English classes, you’ll work on children’s cognitive, social, and physical skills. You can do this through activities like:

Role play games
Practise greetings
Read stories
Sing songs
Dance to music

You’ll also be involved in day-to-day activities and lend a hand during mealtimes. The children have two meals a day and snacktime. Your day is also broken up with a lunch break. In the afternoons, you can prepare your activities for the next day.

Once you’re finished working for the day, you can relax at the apartment with other volunteers and have dinner together.

Over weekends, you can visit heritage sites open to tourists. We recommend visiting the Royal Palace, S21 Museum, or the Killing Fields, to get a deeper understanding of Cambodian history. Or, organise weekend trips to the famous Angkor Wat Temples and spend the weekend soaking up some sun at the beach.

Aims & Impact

The aim of this project is to improve early childhood development in Cambodia.

Cambodia has a low level of education and many care centres are underfunded. Many families also cannot afford to send their children to daycare centres and kindergartens while they are at work.

This is something that our partner NGOs are trying to improve. To help them, we provide financial support and help from volunteers. Children who get a solid foundation at pre-school have a higher success rate, and are more likely to go all the way to secondary school.

As a volunteer with children in Cambodia, you’ll work towards the following goals laid out in our Childcare Management Plan:

Promote early childhood development
Improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities
Increase English
Improve hygiene levels of the children
Improve the level of stimulation of each child

Please note that Projects Abroad has elected not to work with children in orphanages in Cambodia. Instead, we rather focus on community-based programmes that allow children to remain within their families.

Activities

Here are a few of the things you will be helping with:

Volunteer helping to teach children in Cambodia

Organise educational activities with the children to teach early childhood skills

A volunteer leading a hygiene workshop with children in Cambodia

Make sure children practice good hygiene every day and do monthly health check-ups

Volunteers helping with arts and crafts in Cambodia

Support local staff and caregivers with their work at care centres in Phnom Penh

Your work will focus on the following areas:

Organise educational activities

In Cambodia, promoting early childhood development is one of our main goals. We want to make sure each child we work with learns the skills they need to succeed at school. You’ll help us work toward this goal by improving literacy and numeracy, and teaching English. You’ll also play games and sports to help children improve their motor skills, like catching and balancing.

Each week, you’ll spend a minimum of five hours teaching English. This is important work, as the children benefit significantly from having an English speaker to practice with.

Hygiene and health initiatives

One of our other goals is to improve hygiene levels of the children. We focus on sharing knowledge with the children, telling them about the benefits of practicing good hygiene everyday. This will help prevent the spread of disease, and improve their overall wellbeing. In Cambodia, we mainly do this through educational campaigns, hands-on demonstrations, and role play activities.

You’ll assist with health check-ups every two weeks. This includes recording if they are at a healthy height and weight. Showing them how to do it first and a good congratulatory cheer at the end will make them grin and encourage them to be first in line next month!

Support local staff

Many of the care centres have reduced their staff to child ratio. This means that each child is able to receive a higher level of attention that is vital during their early years. The local staff are very hands-on, but they need extra support. As a volunteer, you’ll alleviate some of the pressure.

By taking over a few responsibilities, you’ll free up their time for other management tasks. This helps ensure the smooth running of the care centre. You’ll also assist with a few day-to-day activities at the care centres such as setting up of tables, cleaning, and maintenance work.

Map & Location

Uncover the magic of Cambodia, a Southeast Asian gem with ancient wonders and modern marvels. Here, the legendary Angkor Wat stands as a testament to the Khmer Empire’s power, but it’s more than just temples. Beautiful beaches, stunning skyscrapers, and roaring rivers can be found everywhere you look.

It’s a country on the rise, with tourism and agriculture driving its economy. Though marked by a complex past, Cambodia is developing as a tourist destination and offers an unforgettable experience.

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, lies where the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers meet. This busy city blends French colonial architecture with ornate Buddhist temples and is home to 2.5 million people. It has a tropical wet and dry climate, meaning it can be hot all year.

Filled with artisan markets, excellent Khmer cuisine, and historic landmarks, Phnom Penh has something for everyone. It is also well connected, offering easy access to the countryside and the wonders of Angkor Wat.

Food & Accommodation

You’ll have everything you need to enjoy an incredible experience in Cambodia, including a clean bed, three meals a day, and fresh drinking water. We’ll also organise your transport (usually a traditional Tuk Tuk!) to and from your placement every day.

You’ll stay in clean, comfortable, and convenient shared apartments in the heart of Phnom Penh. You will have basic Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and large communal areas, giving you the chance to build bonds with other Projects Abroad participants.

Immerse yourself in the local culture, pick up basic Khmer phrases, and enjoy traditional dishes prepared for you by our cook. Explore the fascinating city with new friends, seeing sights like the Royal Palace and the Killing Fields, or organise a weekend trip to Angkor Wat in your free time.

Meet your team

Your Arrival Made Easy

When you arrive at your respective airport, a member of Projects Abroad staff will be there to meet you. You can find more detailed information on arrival airports, orientation, and visas on our Cambodia Arrival Procedures page.