Conversations With Foreigners (CWF)
With local Phnom Penh students and international volunteer teachers helping to raise money for development work in rural communities, CWF forms a unique model of learning, cultural exchange, and sustainable fundraising.
CWF was founded in 2006 with support from the Australian Government AusAid VIDA program. We are registered with the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), and governed by a Board of Directors, the majority of who are Cambodian.
Like many local NGOs, CRDT relies on project-by-project funding, which can be problematic, so CWF was set up to offer affordable conversational English language courses for local students in Phnom Penh in order to help raise regular funding for the important work of this local NGO. This project is an attempt to create a more sustainable source of funding through an activity which contributes positively to the community. Profits from the school are given directly to CRDT.
Since our inception we have raised over US$60,000 for CRDT, hosted more than 300 volunteers, and we now teach over 900 students every day. We’re dedicated to improving Cambodian skills, opportunities and increasing our cultural perspective, and dedicated to the mission of our partner LNGO Cambodian Rural Development Team.
We are proudly independent, bound only to our fundraising beneficiary CRDT. We are not aligned with any religious or political organisation.
Our Model
In many volunteer programs, volunteers work directly with the poorest people. Our volunteers don’t. Our students in Phnom Penh can at least afford money to study – more fortunate than many. Instead, volunteers are contributing to a social enterprise and the long-term sustainability of CRDT – Cambodian experts experienced in rural development – to work to improve livelihoods with rural communities. Rural communities make up 80% of Cambodia’s population.
We believe this model of volunteering is more sustainable for rural communities and Cambodia. We welcome any comments or suggestions you have.
English Language – The Lingua Franca of Southeast Asia
There is a thirst for learning in Cambodia, especially in young people, and providing affordable English courses contribute to fulfilling the desire of Cambodian people to communicate in the international language in various aspects of life.
It is hoped this will not impact negatively on the traditional Cambodian language and culture, but instead serve to strengthen the commitment of Cambodian people to retain, share and promote the uniqueness of their language and culture through improved communication and learning with the rest of the world.
The working language of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is English, and with tourism and international investment on the rise, Cambodia’s youth are at the brink of seizing opportunities not seen for decades. Knowledge of the English language is becoming crucial, regardless of whether a student is studying to work in tourism, business, or trying to find work in a riverside restaurant.
Volunteering
The Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) describes volunteering as where:
The volunteer offers time, energy and effort to a project of benefit to a community, and… the community offers to the volunteer an opportunity for experimentation, learning and personal and collective development.
Our volunteers immerse themselves in the urban Phnom Penh community, learn the Khmer language, travel and explore Cambodia, as well as having the opportunity to visit CRDT and the rural communities they work with.
In covering their own expenses, volunteers may also appreciate more fully the opportunity given to them by the Cambodian people – people whose warm, welcoming smiles defy both the neglect and the aggressive interference from Western and other foreigners in recent history.
Finance and Reporting
CWF is audited annually by independent auditors to ensure full transparency of all financial transactions; compliance with local laws; compliance with our vision and mission, as determined by the Board of Directors.
We make all reports public in the interests of full disclosure and transparency. For more information and to download our financial reports, please visit our Financial Disclosure page.
Our Beneficiary:
Cambodian Rural Development Team (CRDT)
CRDT are a team of skilled Cambodians teaching rural Cambodians agriculture skills such as building water pumps, better sanitation, animal raising, planting rice, fish ponds, bio-digestors and home gardens. Learning these skills is one way rural Cambodians may realise more opportunities and make decisions that affect their own lives.
CRDT formed in 2001 and are a registered local non-government organisation (LNGO). All CRDT members are university educated, yet all are from rural backgrounds and therefore share an understanding of daily life in Cambodian villages. They live in the villages they are working with and consider the impact on the environment.
For further information, please visit CRDT and their new eco-tourism office CRDTours.
