Changing kids' lives with hip hop, education & art

Dear friends and supporters

For the last five months, Tiny Toones has been back to doing what we do best: providing an education to kids who would otherwise miss out, and firing up their creativity.

It hasn't been easy. Just as a reminder of the situation here - while Cambodia has had far fewer cases of COVID-19 than other countries, there have been some outbreaks which have led to temporary school closures. That has made running Tiny Toones extremely challenging, but we have kept going and tried to keep our students as safe as possible at the same time.

The biggest consequence of the pandemic has been economic. The entire Cambodian economy has been harmed by the restrictions put in place to protect the public, and our children - already some of the poorest - have been hit hard.

That's why we have been so happy to receive some one-off donations within Cambodia and outside to provide local families with a bit of support. The most moving was one made in the name of Julian Yom, a young man from the USA who sadly passed away as a result of leukaemia.

However, as difficult as things remain we are infinitely happier now we are able to do our work more directly, in the way we love, by working directly with our kids in the classrooms and in our creative studios. We are taking many sensible measures including social distancing, face masks and regular temperature checking, but we are again open and for that we are very grateful.

Thank you for supporting us all the way through this so we didn’t have to close our centre or lose our best teachers. Your support means that once this pandemic fades, these children have a chance at a better future.


Thank you

The Tiny Toones Family

Dear Friends and Supporters

We are back!

Just a couple of weeks ago we were beyond delighted to open our gates again, at last giving some of Phnom Penh's most disadvantaged - and amazing! - kids a chance to again learn, play and create. We are thrilled, and so are the kids, and it was only possible because of you, our donors.

Just as a reminder of the situation here - while Cambodia has had far fewer cases of COVID-19 than other countries, it has still had to take many emergency measures to protect its citizens. This included the temporary closure of schools and community centres like ours, as well as the restriction of almost all international travel. This has had a catastrophic impact on the economy, one which will likely be felt for many years to come.

During the closure we placed a lot of focus on trying to encourage safety in the communities we work in. We promoted social distancing and mask-wearing, including the use of entertaining videos to get the message across to children. Thanks to local businesses and the generosity of supporters like you, we were able to support those who were suffering the worst consequences of COVID. But now we are able to do our work more directly, in the way we love, by working directly with our kids in the classrooms and in our creative studios. We are taking many sensible measures including social distancing, face masks and regular temperature checking, but we are again open and for that we are very grateful.

The other thing we are incredibly grateful for is all of you. You supported us all the way through this so we didn’t have to close our centre or lose any of our incredible teachers, blows which we might never have recovered from. You kept us going and that has kept our kids going.

Thank you

The Gratetul Tiny Toones Family