Cambodian Community Dream Organization, Inc.

Dream Journal – July 2025



School Safety & Health

With another generous donation from Texel Foundation, CCDO has initiated a new School Safety & Health program. The topics will include Nutrition, Dental Hygiene, First Aid, Reproductive Health & Puberty, Safe Sex & STDs, Road Safety, Anti-drugs, Human Trafficking, and Bullying. 

In conjunction with the Department of Education, the program will be 10-month course training 50 teachers who in turn will teach their students, using the same modalities of the program. 8661 students in 21 primary schools, 3 secondary schools and 1 high school in Angkor Thom districts will benefit from the program. 

In addition, the project will work with 4 health centers and 4 communes to provide awareness of the topics. 5,000 families will directly benefit, and this translates into over 26,000 people.

Women Empowerment Program

For the past 4 years, Soroptimist International has sponsored a Women’s Empowerment program in the rural areas around Siem Reap. Here is one of the many stories of how this program is making a difference.

Impact Story of Mrs. Chhoeurn Yoeurn

Chhoeurn Yoeurn, a 21-year-old mother of one, married young and endured years of domestic violence in a financially strained household. With no awareness of her rights or opportunities for change, she lived in constant fear and uncertainty.  

Her life changed through CCDO training sessions on:

– Gender equality, women’s rights, and ending gender-based violence  

– Leadership skills and inspiring role models in small business in her community.

– Health education, including family planning, reproductive health, hygiene, and nutrition  

Motivated by the project’s team, Chhoeurn Yoeurn started a small home-based fruits and vegetables business. With a small startup fund and financial management guidance, she began selling fresh produce. With this little income her life changed. She now had a little stable income to support her family’s daily needs, and she reduced financial dependence on her abusive husband. As she grew more confident and financially independent, her husband’s abusive behavior decreased. Mutual respect slowly replaced violence, improving their family dynamics.  

Today, she is not just a vegetable seller, she is a role model to many as she managed to break free from a difficult life and has financial independence. And she is proud of herself.

USA school students advocate for Cambodian peers

Sarah Tyburski, a teacher at the Greater Lowell Technical High School in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts was creative in getting kids involved in giving back.

Her students had to give a presentation on a non-profit organization that they were passionate about. Molly Sim is in 11th grade and she and her family travel back to Cambodia to visit relatives. She shared her experience and desire to help Cambodia with passion and kindness.

Molly chose to highlight the Cambodian Community Dream Organization and taught her class all about the mission of the CCDO, the people we serve, and ways to help. Her schoolmates voted for her project as the winning recipient of the monetary donation their teacher would make to a nonprofit on their behalf. 

Ms. Tyburski donated $50 which will be used for library books. Sarah comments, “It is my favorite school project of the year because not only do I learn what matters most to all my students, but also because I hope to impart on them the importance of giving back, getting involved, and advocating for those in need.”

Visitors

Paula Wegman from Buenos Aires, Argentina visited CCDO. Her family have been longtime supporters of CCDO, and she was delighted to visit TaPang School and interact with the students. She was impressed with the team and the impact that has been had on the children.



Staff News

Sadly, we say goodbye to our Digital trainer Chan Tour, who has been with CCDO for 5 years. He has an opportunity for a new position that he cannot pass up. We wish him the best of success. We will miss his videos and his precise training of the 2015 teachers in 178 primary schools in 5 districts, to become computer proficient. He has been training his replacement with our own computer lab teacher Mariny.