Siem Reap, Cambodia is a popular tourist spot and the gateway to the famous Angkor Wat temples. However, it’s also a place where many people still live in extreme poverty.
Thankfully, Human Resources and Natural Development (HRND) is aiming to change that. Based in Siem Reap, this small NGO is run by local Buddhist monks. According to its blog, HRND “is dedicated to providing support to the women and orphaned children who make up so much of rural Cambodian society.”
The monks of HRND carry out education and development programs in rural villages around Siem Reap. These include building schools and roads, holding agriculture and farming workshops, and providing children with school supplies, clothing, and bicycles. By improving infrastructure and access to education, the monks hope to help local people to provide for themselves.
While traveling in Cambodia last year, Random Acts’ Destinations Projects Manager Tracy Liu heard about the great work of HRND. She also found out that the monks who run HRND struggle to visit rural communities due to a lack of transport. Tracy said, “Before I visited they had no means of transportation of their own. They had to rely on other people to drive them to the villages with their motorbikes or cars.”
Determined to change things for the better, Tracy reached out to Random Acts. Thanks to generous donations from our amazing supporters, she received funding to buy a much-needed motorbike for HRND.
With the funding approved, Tracy went with the monks to pick out the perfect bike. She explained, “Someth, the head monk, even brought along an astrologer who used a special app to find the motorbike with the luckiest serial number.”
Have an idea for an act of kindness of your own? Head over to our act proposal page for more details of how Random Acts can support you — we can even provide financial assistance to help make your project a reality!