About Us

Life Goal Sharing knowledge and skills with the community is my passion
Why am I volunteering at SWIM Cambodia/ Hile Teuk Kampuchea?
I originally volunteered for SWIM Cambodia, since 2018, and later on I also started volunteering for Hile Teuk Kampuchea (HTK) since this organization first started here in Siem Reap. Working and sharing good knowledge and skill to the community is my passion.

The experience of losing someone from drowning with the lack of awareness and education to keep ourselves and others safe is so painful. Before starting volunteering, I lost my niece who just successfully graduated from her bac 2 when she hosted a small party with her friends at home. Her strong will of trying to save her friend who failed into the pond and drowned, she jumped into the pond without realizing that she put herself in the big risk. 

Her friend was saved, unfortunately my niece died at that time. A few years later, I almost lost one more niece from drowning because she and her cousin wanted to play in the water and she slipped and failed into the water. The water current was strong and fast. It took her further down and away from her cousin.

Luckily my cousin noticed my nephew crying for help. He came fast and saved her on time. My nephew who was in that situation, and saw what happened but could not help his little cousin carried that dramatization for a long time. I know I cannot stop everyone from drowning, but I can be part of spreading the knowledge and skills to the community in the hope of building their awareness and to continue to spread wider to reduce the number of drownings.

Life Goal –is to be the best version of the person I can be and to help others who are less fortunate, whenever I can.

I joined HTK when it was started, I believe I was one of the very first volunteers. My official title is Business Innovation Officer and my role is to help the Executive Director, Sarath Tek, and her Board with their fundraising strategy, help with the implementation of that strategy and write proposals for funding. I also help with volunteering at the schools to teach water safety education.

I was attracted you to HTK as There is a desperate need for water safety education in Cambodia and I admire the passion and drive of the Executive Director so I decided to volunteer.

What motivates me to stay involved is that child drowning can be prevented and the work that HTK does makes a tangible difference. As a volunteer It's good fun as everyone is so friendly and motivated. Sarath does a great job of pulling the team together and leading from the front.

The most rewarding experience to date I think it has to be attending the water safety education sessions at Phnom Krom school. The kids were so excited to see us and to learn about water safety. This is an area near to Siem Reap that is close to lots of water including the Tonle Sap lake. It's also a very poor area where the children swim in local waterways and paddy fields.

I've learned from volunteering that drowning is a major issue for kids in Cambodia yet it's not recognised by the Cambodian Government as a major health issue. The work of HTK is vital in educating children, their parents and teachers in water safety so the rate of drowning decreases. HTK's role is also vital in bringing this issue to the attention of local and central government and to put water safety in the education curriculum.

With Sarath's leadership at HTK I'm confident HTK will make it happen and the rate of drowning amongst Cambodian children will decrease.

Life Goal –To help in the prevention of drowning in Cambodia
I Joined HTK when I did their training course in December of 2023 and became one of their teacher/trainers.

I was attracted to the organisation as I want to help people from drowning. My motivation to stay involved is to encourage family and friends to be aware of water safety skills.

I really enjoy volunteering with HTK as the team work very well together and we can present correct rescue techniques One of the most rewarding experiences so far is being a swim teacher and what I have learnt from volunteering is gaining more knowledge and experience.

Life Goal - My goals and main passions are horticulture and working in a wide range of community development settings, with NGOs and community groups. I especially like to support women and children and help provide new opportunities from which they can benefit and develop.

I am particularly interested in promoting health, education, and well-being.
I joined HTK in 2023 because I’ve been aware of the widespread issues associated with drowning in Cambodia. It's a largely unacknowledged and neglected problem that represents a major risk for children, especially in the provinces during the rainy season. It’s all preventable for the most part, so I’m happy to help out with HTK and do my bit for prevention-based public health. Nobody wants to experience the loss of a child.

My role with HTK is that of a Trainer and I provide local schools and youth groups with key information that helps them understand the hidden risks that water presents.

I like HTK as it’s a new, honest NGO dealing with an important real-life issue. It’s a small NGO for now, but I can see it growing soon. The need for their services is there for sure. I’m keen to stick with HTK as a volunteer as I think the staff and team are great. There is a good feeling among staff and volunteers and the activities that we deliver always generate fun.

More importantly, I see the value and impact that the work has with children, parents, teachers, and other community leaders that we engage with.
As a volunteer I enjoy meeting new people, especially those who live in more rural settings and are often a little disconnected from city life. This allows me to understand and appreciate how others live out their lives. Many of the rural villages are poor and there is often less appreciation of the risks that rivers, standing water, and floods present.

The most highly rewarding experience I think is working with children and teachers. You can see the benefits of sharing information with people, when you have time, in a cool hour of the day, to explain things. Many of the children and adults are completely unaware of the prevalence of drowning in Cambodia, and the subsequent impact it always has on families and communities afterwards.

What I have learned from volunteering and Working with HTK it has taught me a lot – notably honest face-to-face public and community health development work really works. Essentially people and education make the difference in these settings. There’s nothing better than knowing that you are providing the prevention-based work that could help save a precious life one day.

Life Goal – WAITING

Life Goal – To raise awareness on drowning prevention and water safety in my community.

I am a volunteer for Hile Teuk Kapuchea organization. I decided to join HTK because I want to help the children to help raise the awareness and giving back to the community by joining together share Knowledge of the drowning prevention and know how rescue the victims the right ways.

In general, our Cambodian people lost their family every day from drowning. This is very sad story; we don't want to see more cases happen to our community.

HTK plays an important role joining to help gathering source information to our Cambodian people and new generation to get to know more about how to survive from drowning and how to rescue people from drowning.

I hope our activities will spread the knowledge from one to one, from one community to other communities and I believe that we will reduce the cases of dying from drown in near future.

" SAY NO FOR DROWNING IN CAMBODIA"
Thank you,
Lina

Life Goal – To become a advocate on drowning prevention in Cambodia
I joined HTK (Hile Teuk Kampuchea) in 2023 as a volunteer.

I became involved because I am particularly interested in their training programs on how to prevent child drowning, rescue drowning individuals, and properly perform CPR. I am now a volunteer teacher/trainer with the organisation.

I want to share the knowledge I’ve gained from HTK with others, helping spread awareness about water safety in the community.

I was excited to join HTK because I learned something completely new—skills I had never acquired before. Through HTK’s training, I now know how to provide first aid properly, which equips me to save lives, including children and adults.

Since joining HTK, I have gained valuable experience in first aid, CPR, water safety, and drowning prevention. I’ve shared this knowledge with children, the elderly, and adults in schools and communities, promoting safety and awareness in various places.

As a child, I had an experience with drowning. While helping a friend, I found myself in trouble because I could not swim, and I almost drowned at that time. Since then, I have been afraid of water. Just seeing the waves made me feel sick.

However, I have now overcome my fear of water, and I am committed to sharing my knowledge through outreach and teaching.
Thank you, Song Som.

Life Goal – To provide knowledge to our community to prevent children and adults from drowning and be safe in or near water.

I started volunteering with HTK in December of 2023 as a teacher trainer for teachers, parents and children.

The reason I volunteer for HTK is because I see and hear that so many Cambodian people are drowning every day and they don’t know how to be safe around water, even water is important for their living but we all should know to use it safely.

My motivation is our HTK team. They are willing to help even if they live far away from Seim reap. Another reason is I live healthy and happy and I want to see others have the same opportunity.

This is my first time volunteering and I really like to be in the team to support people in Cambodia. One of my most favourite parts is when we went to the villages and saw children smiling and excited to receive what you give with love and respect.

My best reward from these experiences in HTK was that nothing can stop me from helping and saving people but in a safe way. What I have you learned from volunteering is about providing safety around water, saving people from drowning and growing as a team and we, all always support each other in many different ways.

Life Goal - To live a good life and survive every challenge for a better tomorrow, seek for my best self-version, payback to the community and supporters and leave the legacies to the next generation.

I joined HTK in December 2023 as a Trainer and Social Media Officer. The attraction to HTK was a passion for continuous learning, helping others, and a love for technology and nature. HTK’s mission aligns with my interests in community service, promoting safeguarding practices and saving lives.

My motivation to Stay Involved is the opportunity to make a tangible impact on the community, especially in areas related to safety and education, while also being part of a network that shares similar values and goals.

The experience as a Volunteer and volunteering at HTK is fulfilling and challenging, providing the chance to work with a diverse group of people and contribute to meaningful projects. The most enjoyable aspect is seeing the direct impact of the training sessions, particularly in helping others gain critical skills such as CPR and water safety.

The most rewarding experience was being part of the training programs that equipped the community with life-saving skills and seeing the participants confidently apply what they learned.

Volunteering has taught me the value of community service, the importance of continuous learning, and how to effectively communicate and lead in diverse cultural settings. It has also reinforced the importance of patience, empathy, and adaptability in achieving personal and community goals..

Life Goal – To provide knowledge to Cambodians on the importance of drowning prevention and water safety.

I am an employee at iCAN British International School, and I am also a volunteer in the Hile Teuk Kampuchea organization. Hile Teuk Kampuchean is an organization that provides the education of how to stay safe in and around water to the children and adults to know and be aware of it.

I have been involved in this organization since December 2023 and with the strong hope that Cambodian people including the children, young, old, male or female in all ages know about the safety presentation around the water altogether.

I am the leader of the Phnom Penh volunteers, and got experience of drowning when I was child around 8 to 10 years old. That is why I joined HTK. I like to guide the children about water safety around and in the water lesson, and the best part of this is to challenge the kids to answer some questions of drowning prevention. Lastly,

I strongly hope that in the future this organization will grow bigger, and get more volunteers. Thank you so much!

Life Goal –

Life Goal –

Life goal –  

Life Goal – To educated those in our schools and communities on drowning prevention.

I am from iCAN British International School. Today, I am so happy in participating with Hile Teuk Kampuchea. The reason that I join in Hile Teuk Kampuchea is I have received more new knowledge about how to save the children from drowning. So, I am so happy, and about what I had learnt today I get to share with the children at school. I will expand and strengthen more on what I have today to other schools as well as other communities too.

Life Goal –

Life Goal – To help others in saving lives from drowning.
I am from iCAN British International School.

I am here joining in Hile Teuk Kampuchea organization. The reason that motivated me to volunteer in Hile Teuk Kampuchea organization is because I would like all Cambodian people have the knowledge of how to rescue and save their life or their relatives and friends too