Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia

by Khmer Cultural Development Institute
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia
Education/Arts Orphan, Disabled Children Cambodia

Project Report | Mar 20, 2025
The Light that is Hidden

By Catherine Louise Geach | Founder

Dear Kind Donors,

Thank you all for your marvelleous and kind support, helping us with your generosity and wonderful good-will to keep our School open and running.

It is often said by those who visit our School, that the Presence of Love can be felt very strongly and the presence of Peace.

Yet all our Children have gone through very great suffering and also many of our Staff, who have known the Khmer Rouge genocide and war.

When that first Vision came to build our School, in 1992, while Cambodia was in the midst of war and unimaginable hardship was normal for most Cambodians, I believe that then aged twenty, I was able to draw upon the well-spring of my own personal loss and suffering and with all my strength, envision a Life of Joy, of Healing through Music, through unconditional Love, for those who had suffered infinitely more than myself. 

The Path of our School has been one of continual Growth. Through every great challenge, tragedy, happiness, it is the Purity of Heart and steadfastness and Love, which is the Light that is hidden from the world, allowing our School to flourish. As that which is hidden from the eye has grown, so has our garden! Now covered with trees and flowers, a haven for wildlife, for birds as small as one's thumb and little squirrels.

Last month, our Blind Students were once more able to perform their Mohori Music with their Ensemble, "Vichak Santepheap" - The Path of Peace, in two local Pagodas. They returned back to School full of energy and self-confidence, but also with much gratitude for their Music Master, Loak Kru Samouen and they told me that before, when they had lived in their villages, they did not know the different names of Cambodian Music and had only really now understood how precious it is and that as their Master is getting elderly, they are tasked with keeping the Flame Alight, since this Music has been transmitted from generation to generation for over a thousand years.

In 2015, our School began the revival of the ancient art of small Shadow Puppetry (Lakoun Saibaik Toch') in Kampot Province, where we are based. This Art had been lost to Kampot because of the war and the near complete destruction caused by the Khmer Rouge genocide. Now we are doing further training in both the making of these shadow puppets, which use cow-hide specially dried and cured using tree-bark dyes and learning the complex Art of Performance of a new play. This allows our newer students and those students who have grown from being very young Children to adolescents, to learn this. The Art of Performance, requires the Artist to both move the Puppet and do the Character's Voice, all is interspersed with Music and sound-effects.  It is a much loved and very old art-form and often full of humour.

The Art of making and performing Shadow Puppets, is also a very good form of vocational training as a job skill and additionally is highly therapeutic.

All of these wonderful things have been possible this year, because of your great help.

So it is with much Gratitude that we all Thank you. We Thank you for seeing the Light that is hidden and having the faith in us to help us.

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Nov 20, 2024
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By Catherine Louise Geach | Founder

Oct 30, 2024
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By Catherine Louise Geach | Founder

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Organization Information

Khmer Cultural Development Institute

Location: Kampot Town, Kampot Province - Cambodia
Website:
Facebook: Facebook Page
Project Leader:
Catherine Geach
Founder
Kampot Town , Kampot Province Cambodia
$190,440 raised of $300,000 goal
 
1,346 donations
$109,560 to go
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