The start of something great...
We bought the land in Kep in 2012—a leap of faith made possible by the generosity of friends and family who believed in our dream of opening a vocational training school. Though we had little money, the seller allowed us to pay in installments, and every time we were short, someone stepped in to help.
On July 5th, 2013, we moved to the land, which was then a dense jungle. With the help of close friends, we unloaded our belongings from Phnom Penh and began clearing the area. At first, we lived in a simple grass bungalow with our two-year-old daughter Eli. Life was basic—our kitchen and bathroom were outdoors, and every day was spent building and preparing the land.
After six months, we built our first schoolhouse and began offering English classes to the construction workers helping us. In April 2014, during Khmer New Year, we hosted our first guests—a van full of 25 family members, and Khmer Hands was born.Since then, we’ve grown steadily—adding bungalows, a restaurant, and vocational training programs in sewing and woodworking. Today, we have 14 bungalows, a school, and a restaurant, continuing our mission to provide opportunities and hope through education and hospitality.
