International Volunteer HQ's partner organization in Cambodia requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in teaching, orphanage work and homan rights work throughout the capital city of Cambodia (Phnom Penh) and surrounding rural villages.

LOCATION OF CAMBODIA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

IVHQ has volunteer placements in both Phnom Penh and the countryside. When choosing a volunteer placement we carefully consider the needs of the local institutions we work with, whilst taking into account the volunteer's wishes, background and skills. Therefore, if you choose to work in a human rights project, you may not work in Phnom Penh, but another city or in the countryside, because this is where support in this field is needed the most relative to your skills.

START AND DURATION OF CAMBODIA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS

Placements begin on the first and third Monday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for durations of two weeks to six months.

CAMBODIA VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be 18 years or older and have finished high school when starting the program. To communicate with the host families and people within your placement, volunteers should speak English fluently. Volunteers wishing to work on the human rights program should be 19 years or older and already have some experience in the field they wish to work. This can either be university studies (a degree is not necessary) or relevant working experience.

CAMBODIA VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS:

TEACHING PROGRAM

The education level in Cambodia still is very low causing large amounts of poverty and unemployment. English skills are required for most jobs in Cambodia, yet not everyone gets the opportunity to learn the language. Many young Cambodians looking for jobs get rejected because they speak very little or no English due to the fact that most parents simply cannot afford this type of education for their children. Our volunteers are placed in Phnom Penh and the surrounding communities. Many projects urgently need teachers who can help out with specific skills like English. Sometimes other skills (e.g. IT, mathematics or art) are also required. Volunteers will teach a whole class or small groups, working alone or alongside other teachers or volunteers. In some schools you will prepare tests and exams and even correct exams. The longer you stay the more responsibilities you receive. The volunteer should invest some time each day on preparing lessons carefully. A typical school year depends on the type of school. Orphanage and NGO schools run throughout the year and only have holidays during the public holidays. However, we work with a combination of schools (Orphanage and NGO) and for most of the year, volunteers will be able to work in the schools without being affected by any long holidays. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: CCH Orphanage School

CCH orphanage school is located in Phnom Penh. It has over 110 children aged between 6 and 17. The children have no adult guardians capable of looking after them. Some are orphans, others still have parents or other relatives who cannot take care of them due to illness or disability. Most of the children have previously worked as garbage pickers before coming to the centre. You may teach English, arts, mathematics or sports depending on the need at the time of volunteering. You will also play with the children and be there for them and you may also assist with other tasks inside the school. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Cambodia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

ORPHANAGE WORK

Cambodia has an incredibly high number of orphans comparative to population. Many children have lost their parents due to HIV, while other parents cannot provide food, accommodation and education for their children. However, many "orphans" still have parents or relatives they may visit sometimes. Orphanage work ranges from cooking, administration, cleaning, painting, singing and sports to assisting with homework, feeding, caring for children and teaching. Alongside teaching, volunteers help with general work and will normally work 4-8 hours a day depending on the placement. The 2 hour lunch break can be spent at the orphanage or at home gathering energy for the rest of the day. You may also work in an orphanage or Center for HIV infected or disabled children, where the focus is less on teaching and more on childcare. Volunteers help to dress, feed and wash the children who are always happy to simply get your attention as in Cambodian society, disabled people are often rejected. In all our placements the children are attending the relevant public schools. Most orphanages also have fixed weekly activities, focusing mainly on education such as Khmer literacy classes, English language classes or more general teaching. Topics such as morality, hygiene or Khmer traditions are also discussed with the children. Many orphanages support creative activities like painting, drawing, origami or Apsara dancing (Khmer Traditional dance), and some orphanages organize visits to the beach or to villages.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: House of Family

This is a Slovak Organization established in 2003 with the aim to provide medical and social care to HIV-positive orphans or semi-orphans living in Cambodia. One of the orphanages is situated in Phnom Penh. Currently there are around 80 "indoor" children and 30 "outdoor" children, i.e. staying with the family but coming regularly for medical checks. The children are aged from 2 to 18 years, and often abandoned and discriminated by their community because they are HIV-positive. They are helped with getting education in local public schools, vocational training on special skills and learning English at the centre. The centre also provides them with some "extra" skills in comparison to their HIV-negative Cambodian peers. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Cambodia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

HUMAN RIGHTS PROGRAM

IVHQ's local organization cooperates with a network organization including 41+ local NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) in Phnom Penh and the provinces that focus on community and rural development, democracy development and gender issues. The organizations support the poorest of the poor and those who have become landless, offering capacity building opportunities and organizing advocacy for the reconstruction of the country. Local NGOs usually have very limited (if any) financial resources, and often struggle to run their programs and to raise funds from international donors. Many staff members are volunteers receiving no or a very small salary. All NGOs urgently need support in e.g. fundraising and proposal writing, organizational development, administration and research. For volunteers studying at a university it would be more of an internship experience as some professional development workers support some of our placements. Placements are offered in the following fields: Community development, Health/ HIV/Aids awareness, prevention and rehabilitation, Women and Child issues, Advocacy and Human Rights Issues, Environmental issues, and Education. The responsibility of the intern depends on his/her skills and interests and especially the length of the stay. The volunteer will work 3 to 8 hours a day also depending on the length of the stay. If you only stay a few weeks you will mainly help out with your English skills for a few hours (no less important and necessary) or write proposals for fundraising, case studies and reports. You may also help with IT skills, teach English to the staff or conduct research on the success of the programs or future plans. You would also visit the field and projects in the countryside to get a firsthand idea of the problems people are facing. If you stay longer than two months you will have the chance to work within the human rights programs. Volunteers with more specific skills, knowledge or experience may assist e.g. in arranging campaigns, meetings or public forums or implementing new projects as well as developing the internal structures and new initiatives within the human rights programs. Volunteers also might develop a newsletter or a website. NB In order to do this program volunteers must be staying for a minimum of 5 weeks. If you are staying for less than 5 weeks you can do the teaching or orphanage program.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: PADV

PADV is a local non-government organization established in 1995, with offices in Phnom Penh (head office) and Siem Reap. Its aim is to prevent, reduce and eliminate domestic violence and help its victims. PADV has 25 staff members and almost all of them speak English. The tasks of volunteers at PADV may include for example; proposal writing, and assistance in administrative duties as well as supporting the local staff by teaching English and joining field visits. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Cambodia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.

EXTRA ACTIVITIES IN CAMBODIA

Occasionally, the permanent staff and long term volunteers will organize activities, such as boat trips or excursions to the province, activities during the human rights or women’s rights day or sessions about globalization development work and Cambodia. You are always more than welcome to join these activities as part of your "extra curricular" volunteer experience.

CAMBODIA PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Cambodia and what you receive in exchange for your fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers can choose from two options for accommodation: Staying with a local host family is perfect for learning about Cambodian culture or for more independent volunteers, a guest house is a good option. It is important to note that regardless of your choice, there is a good chance you will be sharing a room with another volunteer.
Guesthouse: Our guest house is a family run business located in the centre of Phnom Penh City near the Olympic Stadium and the Orussey Market. It is owned by a Khmer family that speaks English and French. Most of the rooms have a private bathroom. The house has a big roof terrace with hammocks, a sitting area, TV, a restaurant, Internet access and other services that will help you organize and enjoy your stay.
Host family: Staying with a family is a great way to learn the Cambodian way of life, meet local people, eat local food and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is basic but all home stays have electricity and running water and accommodate volunteers in SAFE and SECURE homes (some rural home stays may not have electricity or running water during times of drought). Depending on the family you will receive two or three meals a day. All home stays have been inspected thoroughly by local staff and chosen because of their safety and security. Most volunteers love their home stays and feel that they get a more authentic Cambodian experience.
Cambodian food is incredible and volunteers tend to miss this after they leave. Bottled water is available everywhere in Cambodia and volunteers should budget approximately US$5 per week for this (2 litres per day) - it is not safe to drink local tap water. Breakfast generally consists of fruits or rice, but baguette is widely available. A typical lunch will be rice or noodles with fried vegetables and meat. Soups are also very popular and fresh fruits such as mangos or pineapples are mostly served for dessert. Breakfast is taken in the morning, lunch is served at about 12 (you can take a packed lunch if you wish to eat at your project) and dinner time is at 6 or 7pm. If you have special needs relating to food, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but as a volunteer, there is also a need for flexibility.

ORIENTATION

A full day orientation will be held on the first and third Monday of each month. You can arrive the weekend or Friday before the orientation and your starting date to acclimatize to Cambodia but please note that accommodation is only covered in your program fees from the night before orientation (the Sunday). The orientation will be given by local and international staff, and you will also meet other current volunteers. We give you an introduction to Cambodia and its culture and will take you to explore Phnom Penh within a city tour and a visit of the local market. Furthermore, we will give you an introduction to globalization and development work, and equip you with basic Cambodian language. We will also give you some advice about working and living in Cambodia. The day after the orientation you will be introduced to your workplace.

VOLUNTEER WEEK

Introduction to the workplace: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project they will be working with.
Weekdays: Depending on the workplace a working week might look different from the following example:

• 7.00 am: Breakfast with the host family or in the Guest House
• 7.45 am: Volunteer leaves home, catches a Moto or Tuk Tuk, walks, or takes his/her bicycle to the project.
• 8.00 The volunteer joins the local staff and starts working.
• 12.00-2.00PM Lunch Break. In Cambodia all workplaces have a lunch break for about 2 hours. Some start earlier, some later. You are welcome to stay with the children in the orphanage or in the office. Some placements will offer you food.
• 5.00PM End of your work day, you will go/drive home (some placements do finish earlier than this).
• 7:00PM Dinner at the host family (if staying in a host family)

Weekends: During the weekend and on public holidays volunteers have free time. You can explore Phnom Penh, meet other volunteers, go sightseeing or shopping or of course travel. There are many interesting and beautiful places around Cambodia, such as the Temples of Angkor Wat, a world culture heritages site, different National Parks, or the beaches in the South. Buses connect all major towns and beaches. During the long public holidays in April, September and November you can also discover the neighbouring countries: Laos, Vietnam or Thailand. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other organizations helping children) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.

GENERAL COUNTRY INFORMATION

Capital: Phnom Penh
Population: 14,805,000
Official languages: Khmer
Currency: Riel (banknotes and coins)
Time zone: (UTC+7)
Climate: Cambodia's climate, like that of the rest of Southeast Asia is dominated by Monsoons, which are known as tropical wet and dry because of the distinctly marked seasonal differences.

Cambodia's temperatures range from 21° to 35°C (69° to 95°F) and experiences tropical monsoons. Southwest monsoons blow inland bringing moisture-laden winds from the Gulf of Thailand and Indian Ocean from May to October. The northeast monsoon ushers in the dry season, which lasts from November to March. The country experiences the heaviest precipitation from September to October with the driest period occurring from January to February.

Cambodia has two distinct seasons. The rainy season, which runs from May to October, can see temperatures drop to 22 °C and is generally accompanied with high humidity. The dry season lasts from November to April when temperatures can rise up to 40 °C around April. The best months to visit Cambodia are November to January when temperatures and humidity are lower. Disastrous flooding, due to extremely heavy rainfall, occurred in 2001 and again in 2002.

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