7 Best Organizations to Support in Siem Reap

Best non-profits to get involved with in Siem Reap

Sustainable travel is not all about where you stay, or which transport you use to get there, it is very much also about which institution you choose to support while you are there! In the following guide, I am providing you with a list of my favorite non-profit organizations to visit around Siem Reap, to both learn more about Cambodia while also supporting its environmental, cultural preservation and sustainable development efforts. 

Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity

The Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity has a very special place in my heart. In 2018, I spent two months living there and volunteering as a photographer and videographer. A wildlife rehabilitation, breeding center and conservation center, the Angkor Center for Conservation of Biodiversity is a great place to learn about and see the endangered wildlife of Cambodia. Watch gibbons plays in the high trees and meet Franky, the most comical sarus crane in the world. 

APOPO

Their tagline: training rats to save lives! Doesn’t get much better than this, does it? These scent detection rats, nicknamed hero rats by the organization help to rid the world of landmines and tuberculosis and return safe land back to communities for development. Learn how by visiting their center.

Osmose 

If you would like to visit a floating village, which I highly recommend you do, I would urge you to do some in-depth research to chose which organization to support. Personally, I trust Osmose when it comes to ensuring fair and sustainable distribution of costs. Their tour of the Prek Toal Reserve is informative, scenic and very engaging. Your participation in their project also funds their Bird Sanctuary Protection Program.

Marum Restaurant

Run by Kaliyan Mith, an NGO working with street children in Siem Reap, Marum makes for a supporting a worthy and delicious cause! Set in a traditional wooden villa surrounded by its lush gardens, the restaurant offers a traditional array of Cambodian foods served in the tapas style. This restaurant is also a training school and harbors a non-profit run shop named Friends International which sells products ranging from funky reshaped spoon earrings to re-purposed tire decorations. Get inspired! 

Banteay Srey Butterfly Centre

A heaven of peace and tranquility in the chaos of Siem Reap, the Banteay Srey Butterfly Center is an absolute paradise for butterfly and photography lovers! The exhibit consists of a netted tropical garden with thousands of free-flying butterflies, all of which are native species to Cambodia. The revenue generated by the admission—which is of $6 per person, supports various conservation projects in the region. 

New Hope Restaurant 

New Hope Cambodia’s hospitality training facility, also a restaurant, aims to teach unemployed and often uneducated Khmers valuable cooking and hospitality skills, and developing their confidence and employment opportunities. I have never been disappointed by the food here, and I always make this recommendation to friends and family. 

Phare Circus 

Phare blends dance, music and gymnastic to give a unique insight into modern Cambodian society and art. This project grew out of a Cambodian non-profit founded by ex-refugee artists and each sale supports free education, professional art training and social support programs. I have now seen three of their different shows and have loved each one! The artists have a contagious energy and I have always come out of here with a huge smile and more faith in the goodness of humanity.