We limit our volunteers, on average, to people who are able to spend 5-6 or more months onsite. We’ve found that the volunteer program works better the longer the volunteer can commit. This is in part because it really takes a while for someone to get settled into the rural Cambodian area where we work, and it’s partly because we emphasize putting our financial resources into direct programs like water, agriculture, education, etc., so we only have one assistant staff member who can work directly on helping orient and organize the volunteers.
Sustainable Cambodia's goal is to help the villagers by providing them with education and resources which enable them to develop their communities themselves, in a way that is sustainable. Volunteers can generally help with the organization of the projects and with their monitoring and evaluation. Particularly if volunteers have experience in development work or in any of the project areas, they may be able to implement new ideas and have a greater involvement in the planning of projects. Volunteers may also provide education and training for the villages if they have a relevant skill. However, the Khmer people do most of the work within the communities, as this is consistent with the principles of Sustainable Cambodia. Therefore, any opportunities for volunteers to do hands-on work in the villages will be fairly rare, as this could disempower the village residents.
There is no charge for volunteering. Volunteers can stay in our on-campus Volunteer House which is a concrete-block construction building that boasts six small bedrooms, an open aired living room and a kitchen. By Cambodian standards it is quite nice, and much nicer than the straw or hand-cut wood homes in the villages. Living expenses are shared in the Volunteer House. The average is probably $150 per month for food & board. Volunteers can either purchase a bicycle (around US$30-35) and bike the 10 minutes to the market, or can pay a moto-taxi for about $0.50 each way to the market. While it is very helpful to SC for volunteers to live on the campus, they can also choose to live off-site. Area guesthouses range from $4-6 USD for a fan per day. Apartments can also be arranged for rent for around $15 USD per week plus electricity.
