Program Photos
VISIONS Cambodia
Location: Cambodia: Battambang, Phnom Penh
Program Duration: 2-4 weeks
Dates: June 28 - July 26
Visions Service Adventures
http://www.visionsserviceadventures.com
321 E. Main Street Suite 426 Bozeman, MT 59715 United States
Call Us
Phone: 406-551-4423 / 800-813-9283
Fax: 406-551-1525
Description
Cambodia is on the rise globally with booming commerce and foreign investment. It also is a center for international development with over 3,000 officially registered non-governmental agencies within its borders. Nestled between Thailand, Vietnam and Laos, with nearly 15 million people, Cambodia suffered more than its fair share of war and trauma during the 20th century. While memories of the Khmer Rouge's genocidal rule in the late 1970s remain, Cambodians have demonstrated remarkable resolve in moving past the devastation of the Khmer Rouge years. They clearly are rebuilding their country to create a new and better era.
Our home base is a town in a province of the same name. Battambang Province is Cambodia's rice basket, renowned for delicious food, friendly people and breathtaking landscapes. It is ideally situated for exploring traditional Cambodia. Battambang town features charming colonial architecture and a relaxed pace unlike Phnom Penh, Cambodia's busy capital and largest, most cosmopolitan city.
Service is the centering lens for learning about Cambodia. Projects mix construction and social service with development organizations that primarily focus on children as well as historic and cultural preservation. Some of our projects and activities may intersect with Sarus Exchange Program. Founded by VISIONS' Southeast Asia Coordinator Wes Hedden, Sarus builds peace and understanding by engaging university students from Cambodia and Vietnam who live and work together for a month in both countries. For the most part, the service projects will be focused at an orphan center just outside of Battambang.
Cambodia has two UNESCO World Heritage sites and seven more sites under consideration. Few countries can boast such splendid ancient temples and such natural beauty. We will take weekend excursions to places of cultural and historical importance, including Angkor Wat, Tuol Sleng Prison, the Royal Palace, and the National Museum, to name a few.
VISIONS Cambodia is for the adventurous participant with prior travel experiences. Minimum age is 15.
Highlights
After work is time to kick back, to play soccer, laze on the banks of the Sangker River and explore tranquil settings along its banks. We visit marketplaces and farms, tiny "makeshift" coffee cafes and "tourist" coffee cafes in Battambang, and inevitably have spontaneous dance nights with the children and staff at the center. Several evenings each week after dinner, we set aside time to meet as a group of volunteers. This is a slow-down time for us to speak and listen to each other, share reactions to our day or iron out occasional issues that may arise. You'll have the opportunity to call and/or email home once a week.
Opportunities to mix and mingle with Cambodians are continuous, from very young children to high school and college students, from teachers and farmers to engineers, shopkeepers, laborers, craftspeople and many others.
Weekends will be eye-opening. We visit Kampong Luong, an entire village of Vietnamese who live their lives on Tonle Sap Lake created by the mighty Mekong River. A school, shops, church, temple, homes, all are on the water. Another long weekend awaits you in the Angkor region in Siem Reap Province. We will stay in and explore Siem Reap city and its famous Night Market. Tourists from all over the world fill the streets. Minutes away is magnificent Angkor with its astonishing temples. Angkor, renowned as the most sublime mix of art and architecture on the planet, was the seat of the Khmer empire that flourished for six centuries. We also will visit a silk worm farm where you will see and learn about silk worms, their care and harvesting, and very stage of silk production to its transformation into beautifully dyed strands of shimmering silk.
Travel Types
- Dancing
- Tours
- Volunteering
Type of Programs
- Community Service / Volunteerism
- Cultural Exploration
Languages
- English
Cost in US$:
5,050
Cost Includes:
Cost Include Description:
Credit Available
no
Volunteer Types
- Building/construction Projects
- Childcare/children
- Community Centers
- Community Development
- Community Health
- Orphans
- Playgrounds
- Restoration
- Volunteering
- Youth
- Youth Development
Age Range
Minimum age is 15This Program is open to
American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African, Worldwide Participant.
Application Process Involves
- Physical Exam/Health Records
- Written Application
Typically The Application Process Time is
1 week or lessVisions Service Adventures's Mission Statement
Through service work and dynamic experience, Visions offers new perspectives and deep learning while working for and with under-resourced communities. Through construction-based and other service and on-site living, Visions introduces teens to cultures very different from their own. Participants are challenged to grow thoughtfully and intentionally within a community of peers and adult leaders. The service work accomplished is a gift to local hosts who welcome Visions participants into their homes and lives. Visions assists organizations that serve under-resourced communities. We provide labor and raw materials for projects designated by communities. Depending on the duration and size of a program, Visions provides USD 3,000 to USD 7,000 for each location's projects, which we fund in full or by adding funds to local funding sources for projects.
Year Founded
1989
