The October monsoon season was a record breaker with 3 major floods occurring in Siem Reap in as many weeks. For 5 weeks the city and surrounding area were under a meter of water and the PLF team was challenged greatly by the logistics on how to deliver supplies and uniforms to 2500 students, make as many lunches and deliver bikes, prizes and backpacks.

Normally opening day of school occurs the first week of October. This year, it took until November 7 to get the job done, with Wat Bo School being the last to dry out.

We are very happy to welcome our 2500 students back to school!

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Siem Reap has seen a wetter than average monsoon season this year and our streets have been under water for several days. Undeterred, today we inspected and readied 211 bikes that will be awarded on opening day. We’re certain we will not make our October 1 date, but as soon as things dry up a bit, we’ll be ready.  (more…)

Preparations for the 2011-12 school year have begun at PLF HQ in Siem Reap.  With about 2500 students supported by PLF programs, getting ready for the the new school year is a big affair and we are happy to report that we are possibly for the first time ever, ahead of schedule! (more…)

La PLF è fortunata ad avere dei sostenitori la cui gentilezza e generosità non finisce quando lasciano la Cambogia. Prendiamo il caso di Ale e Gabri, che ci hanno fatto visita lo scorso anno: tornati a casa in Italia hanno collaborato con i loro amici per organizzare una festa di beneficenza molto particolare, raccogliendo fondi per oltre $ 3500. The PLF is blessed with supporters whose kindness and generosity doesn’t end when they leave Cambodia. In the case of Ale and Gabi, who visited last year, they partnered with friends back home in Italy to have a very unique sort of fund raising event and raised over $3500. (more…)

In February we were very pleased to have Kim Kaufmann and Chris Gooderham arrive from Vancouver to sponsor a bike clinic. Many of the children’s bicycles are ancient hand-me-downs from someone else in their family and in much need of repair. (more…)

Phew~! Opening day went without a hitch this year, thanks mostly to the enlistment of a group of Cambodian and international volunteers who came to load, unload, cook, serve, distribute, play, dance, clean up and organize. (more…)

Every year the PLF awards bicycles to graduating 6th graders as well as first and second in class for grades 4 and 5. Bicycles assist rural children greatly in realizing their dreams to continue to secondary school, as they are often a fair distance from their villages.  We find that students in 4th and 5th grade will work hard for the prize of driving home a bike, which is useful not only to them but to their families as well. This year we were very happy indeed to distribute 77 bikes at Wat Bo, 62 at Tchey, 33 at Knar and 15 at Koh Ker.

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October 1-5 marks the first day at school for each of the PLF supported schools. We are a veritable flurry of activity as we get 2400 students and their teachers prepared for a new school year, award bikes to the graduating 6th graders, organize English and computer classes and focus on the dormitory at Srayang. (more…)

The bike to School Program was a wild success this year as over 160 bicycles were awarded to graduating 6th graders and first and second in class, grades 4 & 5.

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An organization at Great Neck North High School in New York, called Free the Children has donated all the bicycles for graduating 6th graders at Knar School. We extend to them our sincere thanks.

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