Q4 2025
A Message from the Field: 18 Years of Impact
As we close out 2025, we celebrate a major milestone: 18 years of the Karuna Children Cambodia Organisation (formerly the Buddhist Library Cambodia Project). What began as a small project has evolved into a vital lifeline for vulnerable children across Kampot, Kampong Speu, and Takeo provinces.
Today, our mission is clearer than ever - Ensuring every child has access to clean water, proper sanitation, good oral health, and a quality education. On behalf of everyone at KCCO, thank you for continuing this journey with us.
KCCO TEAM AT CAMBODIA
2025 IMPACT AT A GLANCE
Our combined efforts this year have reached record-breaking numbers:
Clean Water : 113,400 children now have daily access to safe drinking water through our 300 Water Purification Systems (WPS).
Education: 122,350 students were empowered through our mobile libraries, English literacy, and computer training program.
Dental Care: 34,467 children received oral health education, free check-ups and treatments, significantly reducing the need for complex surgical interventions.
Welfare & Community: 377 vulnerable individuals received life-changing support through new housing, nutrition, and income-generation projects.
Refining Our Impact & Building a Legacy
DENTAL CARE - A Proactive Shift
The 2025 Dental Survey -
This year, we partnered with the Cambodian Integrated Program Organization (CIPO) to conduct an intensive Dental Health Survey. The findings were a "wake-up call" showing that despite our efforts, dental decay remains high due to external factors like the sale of sugary snacks at school gates.
In response, we are launching a 3 Year Dental Strategic Plan focused on intensive oral health education and improved clinical standards to ensure your donations create measurable, verified impact.
2. The Mobile Dental Clinic (MDC): Reaching the Remote
Our Mobile Dental Clinic expanded dramatically in 2025. Previously limited by resources to just one week of operation per month, our MDC scaled up to four weeks per month to meet overwhelming demand.
Over 9,000 children treated
More than 15,000 dental procedures performed
Nearly double the impact compared to the previous year
This service remains critical for remote schools where professional dental care is otherwise unavailable.
3. Building Local Capacity & International Expertise
Our clinics also serve as vital training hubs:
35 dental nurse students from the Kampot Regional Training Center for Health completed their clinical practicums with us
We were honoured to host Dr. Spenle Geoffroy, a volunteer dentist from France, who joined us for one month to treat complex cases and share his expertise.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
WASHH – Healthier Schools, Greener Futures
Our Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Health (WASHH) initiative serves as the critical foundation for student well-being and environmental stewardship. In 2025, we transitioned beyond infrastructure to focus deeply on life-long health habits and ecological responsibility.
1. Infrastructure
This year, we successfully installed 60 new Water Purification Systems (WPS), bringing the total to 300 schools. This ensures that 113,400 children have daily access to safe, clean drinking water, directly reducing water-borne illnesses. This program also provides an economic relief: by using reusable bottles at school, families save an average of $25 USD per year, funds that can now be redirected toward food and other essentials.
2. Promoting Plastic Reduction & Food Safety
Environmental education is a key component of our WASHH strategy. This year, we increased our efforts to encourage sustainable practices within school canteens:
Sustainable Packaging: We worked with school vendors to reduce the use of Styrofoam and single-use plastics, encouraging the use of traditional alternatives such as banana and lotus leaves.
Food Hygiene Standards: Alongside plastic reduction, we provided hygiene and food safety training to vendors and school committees. This includes encouraging the use of reusable bottles and ensuring that food sold to students meets basic hygiene and safety standards. This in turn helps to improve the oral health of the students.
Ongoing Support: While these changes are being adopted, we recognize that consistent habits take time to form. In 2026, we will continue to support school management teams to embed these practices into the school culture.
3. Sanitation and Dignity
To support the "Health" aspect of our WASHH initiative, we focused on providing clean and functional facilities that ensure student well-being:
We upgraded facilities in 24 additional schools, providing students with safe and private spaces.
We constructed 12 toilet blocks and the installation of 11 new hand-washing stations.
We help improve attendance by supporting student health and dignity
EDUCATION & EMPOWERMENT - Building Skills for a Brighter Future
Our Education Program remains at the heart of our mission to empower students with the knowledge and opportunities necessary to thrive in a modern workforce. In 2025, we celebrated significant academic milestones and reached a historic strategic goal for our digital literacy initiative.
1. Computer Skills : A Strategic Breakthrough
For nearly two decades, KCCO has worked to fill the gap in computer education within public schools. This year, we achieved a major long-term goal:
Curriculum Integration: We have secured a formal agreement with Ranariddh High School to integrate computer classes into the official school curriculum starting in 2026. This makes computer literacy a mandatory subject with expanded teaching hours.
Sustainable Partnership: While the school adopts the curriculum, KCCO will continue to provide essential support for equipment and teacher costs to ensure high-quality delivery.
Proven Success: This initiative is backed by a legacy of results; over 9,000 students have participated in our classes to date, with many former students like our recent graduates Nang and Sry, successfully securing professional employment
Computer Class become part of the curriculum in Ranariddh High School
Former Computer student who works as a Receptionist
2. Academic Excellence in English & Literacy Our language programs continue to produce high-achieving students who are finding their voices on larger stages:
Public Speaking & Debates: We have seen remarkable progress in our English classes, with students now confidently participating in public speaking events and debates. These activities are building critical thinking and leadership skills that extend far beyond the classroom.
Students participating in English Debate & public speaking
3. Mobile Library Outreach:
Our mobile library reached 122,350 primary students this year particularly in remote and less privileged areas. This vital outreach ensures that the joy of reading and the opportunity for self-study are available to every child, regardless of their location. This program is made possible through the continued support of the Luff Foundation
The new mobile library donated by Luff Foundation
Happy children enjoying reading the books from the mobile library
4. Early Childhood & Non-Formal Education
We continue to provide a holistic educational foundation through our preschool and non-formal classes. Our five preschool classes in Takeo and Kampot provinces prepared young learners for primary school, focusing on early literacy and social development.
5. The Model School Program: Setting the Gold Standard
Our Model School initiative has seen a successful expansion this year, growing from 11 to 18 participating schools. This program focuses on strengthening overall school standards through facility development and technical assistance.
14 schools achieved a 3-star rating from the Provincial Department of Education.
Recognized for their functional facilities, improved hygiene, plastic waste reduction, and the presence of healthier food options in canteens.
A key part of this success is the active functioning of Student Councils and School Support Committees, ensuring that the schools are managed effectively from within
Students participated in keeping the toilet clean at the model schools
Canteen selling healthy food at the model schools.
6. Scholarship & Student Aid : Investing in Potential
Beyond basic education, we provided scholarship support to underprivileged students, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent talented individuals from reaching their full potential.
Success Spotlight: Nang’s Journey
We are incredibly proud to feature Nang, a long-term KCCO student who recently achieved his goal of becoming a Civil Servant. Nang’s journey from our classrooms to a position of public service is a testament to what is possible when a child is given the right tools and support.
Nang benefited from our integrated approach, from computer literacy to scholarship aid, allowing him to focus on his studies and compete for high-level employment.
Today, Nang serves as an inspiration to all current KCCO students, proving that hard work, paired with community support, leads to a sustainable and professional future.
Community Development: Building Resilience and Independence
Supported by the Luff Foundation and Club 500, our community program reached 377 individuals this year. We focus on a "whole-family" approach, providing the stability needed for parents to thrive and children to stay in school.
Child Assist & Student Support We ensure that poverty does not stand in the way of a child's potential:
Nutrition & Transport: 40 vulnerable children received daily nutritious school lunches, while 59 children were provided with bicycles and school supplies, leading to significantly better attendance.
Hardship Grants: We provided full living and educational coverage for four orphaned students and extra tuition for eleven high schoolers.
Success Rate: This support saw 100% of our students advance to the next grade, with two students successfully graduating high school this year.
Dignified Living: Housing & WASHH A safe home is the foundation of health. This year, we addressed critical living conditions for families in Anlungkuki and Mean Rith:
Safe Shelter: We constructed a new home for a family previously in a temporary shelter and completed 14 house renovations to ensure safety and dignity.
Household WASHH: Over 100 community members gained access to proper sanitation. We supported the construction of 25 toilets and provided 30 families with water jars and ceramic filters.
Community Ownership: To ensure sustainability and promote ownership, beneficiary families contributed their own labor and a modest financial share toward these improvements.
Economic Empowerment & Independence Our goal is to help families move from "aid-dependent" to "self-sufficient":
Self-Help Groups (SHG): We supported 18 families through interest-free loans and technical agricultural training. By fostering a culture of savings and entrepreneurship, four families achieved full financial independence this year.
Vocational Training: To break the cycle of unemployment, we sponsored specialized training for two youths in motor mechanics and beverage services, providing them with the skills to secure stable, long-term income
An IGA family with her chickens
Srytouch at her beverage service training course.
SUPPORT FOR PARTNER NGOs.
We continued to provide essential financial support to three key partner NGOs whose missions align with our own: Kep Gardens, CCAF, and CLS.
Ensuring Continuity: This support contributed to the smooth daily operations of these organizations, ensuring their vital educational programs remained uninterrupted.
Expanding Impact: By funding these partners, KCCO has strengthened program delivery and achieved a much broader impact than we could reach alone, extending our influence well beyond our direct target areas.
Operational Excellence: These partnerships fostered a culture of expertise-sharing, which has improved the overall operational effectiveness and strategic reach of all organizations involved.
KEP GARDEN
CLS
CCAF
Expanding Horizons: From the Classroom to the Village
Our mission is to ensure that no child is left behind, whether they are learning in one of our high-standard Model Schools or in the shade of a tree in a remote village.
By improving school facilities and bringing our Mobile Library to the most rural corners of the provinces, we are opening doors to a world of knowledge. These moments of joy and discovery are only possible because of your steadfast belief in our work.
How You Can Help
Your support allows us to maintain the highest standards of safety and sustainability across all our programs. To contribute to our 2026 initiatives, from securing clean water systems to providing vocational training, please visit our secure donation page.
Every contribution, no matter the size, creates direct and measurable impact on the ground in Cambodia..
