Notes as an update from Mr. Sim Piseth, the HVTO Founder and Director with some achievements with HVTO Projects

April 14, 2023

Dear HVTO Supporters, Donors and Friends,

Happy Khmer New Year to You and the Families!

We are celebrating the Khmer New Year from 14th to 16th April and in Siem Reap there is a huge Sangranta Celebration with decorations from the Old Market to Angkor Thom. It is estimated to have at least 1 million people from different provinces coming to join. Crowded and full of traffic jam but full of Joy and Happiness during these holidays.

Actually, I am here to share with you what had happened to me and to HVTO for the last 10 months apart from our latest HVTO Newsletter in July 2022. The next detailed newsletter will be well written by our volunteer maybe until the end of 2023. In between, I am happy to share with you what we have been doing and achieving so far.

Personal Note: I was back to business as the local tour guide working only for the Viking guests in Siem Reap - 4 groups for 2 weeks per month or 32 groups for the whole season. I successfully started and ended our season from August 2022 to March 2023. It was the best year or season I have ever had. My performance was much better, as I always say the more I did better, the more I could see my family being better taken care of too. I am very grateful to all levels of the Viking Management for having trust and giving opportunity to me. I am getting ready and looking forward to welcome and start another new season from August 2023 to March 2024 to have more growth for all relevant sides.

On the other hand, I have been so focused on finishing the dissertation for my Ph.D. I just finished it today and prepare to defend it on Sunday 30th of April 2023 and if thing goes well as planned, I will be attending the Graduation Ceremony in Singapore at the end of May 2023. This is to recall that after my Master Degree in 2021, I was granted a 95% scholarship from the Florida based Bodhisastra University (BOU). I presented my proposal for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Change that was well admitted. For the last two years, I have been studying and writing on topic of the Model of Human Resource Development through the HVTO Sponsorship for Education Program. The whole dissertation combines the theory enriching 50% from the real practice in our HVTO Sponsorship for Education, 25% from the new studies and another 25% is the recommendation and advice from the advisory committee. At one point, I will have this dissertation translated into English and share with you. I see it as a new achievement for my personal life, honor for the family, the role model for kids and students in HVTO Center.

HVTO: In the spider net management structure, I have always been spending two weeks every month being so flat with all levels of those responsible managers to make sure that things are properly done.

On behalf of the HVTO Team, I am happy to describe the 14 projects we are operating and to show some remarkable achievements we made for our kids, students and people in the community.

1.       HVTO CORE TEAM: We are 11 of us who play the important roles to operate HVTO. 3 on top are volunteers but we accept gifts and the lower 8 are full time staff getting paid from the Yearly Budget General Funds. 9 out of 11 above are our HVTO former sponsored students who finished their Bachelor or Master Degrees. That means our keymen are better educated with commitment and vision for our kids, students and people.

2.       FINANCE: We try to keep our Yearly Budget as lower 25,000 USD as possible so that we can fundraise and collect the donation to pay for our yearly operation cost. We have the following sources of incomes such as the direct donations from our donors – mainly from Viking and guests and from Studiosus Foundation e.V, Admin Cost of other projects and Interests from Bank. Our goal is to have over 1 million dollars in the bank as the capital funds so that it can generate interests good enough just to pay for the operation cost. For those who are interested to see our balance sheet, please let us know.

3.       ECO TOURISM: This program was set up to open our community to tourism. The visiting guests could enjoy the idiosyncrasy of life in the village alongside they will also learn about the HVTO project with which they might become the sponsors or supporters in the future. But this program failed during the Covid-19 and even though now, Cambodia is fully open to tourism but the number of tourists is still small. However, we stay optimistic to grow it in the future.

4.       HOMESTAY VOLUNTEERS: We had hosted four groups of volunteers; two groups were from the US and other two groups were from Hong Kong. Those volunteers came to help and to learn about the HVTO projects from which they can be the sponsors or ambassadors of HVTO in their home country.

5.       HVTO CENTER: We are extremely excited with the new add-on development of infrastructures in our Center. Great luck we had last months was this, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce and Jeanene Weiner returned with the Viking to revisit HVTO Center. More than the renewals of the sponsorship of his 12 existing and new sponsored students, a new house for the widowed mother, they donated to build the fancy airy brick fence around the Center and another bigger toilet. Now HVTO Center is becoming more professional and child-friendly to attract many more kids coming to learn English, computer, to read books and to have the opportunity to receive the sponsorship for their higher education. We are studying to propose and build another new schoolhouse with 6 classrooms on the new land that we bought in July 2022.

6.       FREE CLASSES FOR ENGLISH AND COMPUTER: We have enrolled over 450 kids into our free classes for English and computer. We have 4 full time teachers and 73 student teachers for English and 1 teacher for computer. Special thanks to Mr. Ine Un who has been actively overseeing the Center and education programs. We also thank you to the five ladies from the US led by Ms. Patti Baker, the President of HTVO USA, mainly financed by Mr. and Mrs. Jeff and Caron Winston, and Mr. Bill Walker and Mrs. Caren von Hippel, former Viking guests, from purchasing and printing, to traveling and training the course-books called the LANGUAGED to the local teachers. This develops our HVTO five-year curriculum.

7.       SPONSORSHIP FOR EDUCATION: With the job as the local tour guide for the Viking, I did not only earn for my own family, but with trust and permission, I have the golden opportunity to take guests to visit the village and HVTO Center to raise some funds to help support our operation cost and to recruit new sponsors to provide the sponsorship to new students. Last season, we have recruited 79 new sponsors for 79 new students of which 10 are from LNR TRUST REG and 69 are from the Viking guests. So, in our history, we have been providing the sponsorship for education to 416 students. There are many good successful stories from the graduates. Since this program is so promising for future self-sustainability - students will come back and continue the spirits of HVTO, I am highly motivated and committed to look for more new sponsors to select and finance for more new students in the upcoming seasons. My profoundest thanks to the Senior Vice President of Viking, Ms. Karine Hagen whom I met in 2010, on top of her personal kindest support and the support from the Viking, her inspiration led me to meet the group of caring Management to be named a few, Mr. Sam Knee, Mr. Olaf Gram and Ms. Phung for mentoring, parenting and valuable advice with which I am strong to operate and push HVTO into a higher level with remarkable accomplishments to produce pride and dignity for everyone involved.

8.       PROFESSIONAL TRAINING: We have sent and financed two girls from the community to stay and study tailoring or making traditional clothes in Siem Reap town. This project is slow but there are some promising signs that we will grow with it in the future.

9.       CLEAN WATER PROJECT FOR THE HOUSEHOLD: We installed 1,222 new water pumps in 2022 from which 1,200  are sponsored by our partner – A DROP OF LIFE from Hong Kong and other 22 are sponsored by our friends and Viking guests. Up to date we have installed the total of 7,732 pump to provide clean water to 37,500 people in the rural villages of Siem Reap. This project alone gives the employment to our 35 men.

10.   BIO SAND FILTER(BSF): In 2022 we installed 1600 BSFs which are delivered to 1600 families. It is necessary for every individual family to make the water from the open pits, ponds, river or from pumps to be safer water to drink. This project is sponsored by A Drop of Life.

11.   TOILET FOR THE HOUSEHOLD: We built 400 toilets in 2022 which are also mainly sponsored by our partner, A Drop of Life. Totally we have built 772 toilets with which we helped make 3 villages the ODF (Open Defecation Fee)

12.   COMMUNITY DEVEOPMENT: With some donations from our former volunteers and sponsors, we have helped our village head to build two lines of new dirt roads in Sophy village.

13.   HOUSE CHARITY PROJECT: In 2022 we built other 6 new houses for 6 new families. This means that we have totally built 35 houses since we started the program in 2019. This project can tangibly show the changes of the conditions of the beneficiary families from being PERISHABLE TO CHERISHED.

14.   FOOD FOR EMERGENCY: in 2022 we received the donations to provide 70 food packages to support the poor families. Each package can help provide foods to a family with 4 members to survive for almost a month. Special thanks to the group of Khmer friends and sponsors living in the US led by Mr. Seng Kaing.

This is just a short description from individual project! We see 2023 another productive year such as installing other 1200 water pumps, 1600 BSF and 400 toilets mainly sponsored by the Drop of Life. Besides, we are committed to oversee and operate the existing projects especially the HVTO Education Center for our younger kids and the sponsorship for education programs for our students which mean a lot of us.

I am here healthy, with diet to lose weight and I lost 20kg for the last 8 months, smiling and being so grateful to all of you for having entrusted in me in doing all things in the said 14 projects above.

It is always very good to hear from you.

With warmest wishes and best regards,

Sim Piseth

HVTO Founder and Director

Regional Tour Guide for Siem Reap Angkor.

Tel: +85512237889
Tel: +855974506969

Email: sim@hvto.org | sim2piseth@gmail.com

Website: www.hvto.org

Personal Profile: https://www.facebook.com/ simpiseth81

Personal Page : https://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?id=100087004634856

HVTO Page: https://www.facebook. com/hvto.org/?ref=bbookmark

Postal Address: 

Postal Address: P.O Box: 93095,
East Sreth village, Kontreang commune,Brasat Bakong district, Siem Reap Angkor-Cambodia.