From safe havens to tomorrow’s wonderful leaders
- oda.org
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
THE ODA FARM SKILLS AND REFUGEE SANCTUARY
EOFY: YES, IT COMES TO ODA TOO
WITNESSING THE SPARK OF LEADERSHIP IN OUR IMPRESSIVE STUDENTS.
Students Sowing the Seeds of Self-Reliance
Learning from the soil! Our youths gain hands-on experience at the ODA farm, helping clear some new land to expand the crops. When a little free time from their education, they proudly assist working to grow more crops that provide fresh organic food for themselves at the Boarding School. Having all come from villages they enjoy the chance to till soil themselves at times
How Thoen and Lai Found a Home at the ODA Farm
In our work across Cambodia, we witness how quickly life can completely uproot a family. But occasionally, we also get to witness the precise moment those roots find their way back into welcoming, nurturing soil. This month, we want to introduce you to Thoen and Lai.
For years, life along the Thai-Cambodian border was a delicate balancing act for them. Like so many families caught in shifting geopolitical realities, they lived under a cloud of constant uncertainty. Recently, that cloud broke. Ordered to flee their borderlands for safety, they fled with only what they could carry. It was only later that the heartbreaking truth settled in: Their home and farm had been permanently reclassified by Thailand as theirs! They had absolutely nothing to go back to.
When life lands heavily on village families, it often falls all at once. Lai was already carrying a profound family weight—as well as farming, the job of primary care of her elderly father, who lost his leg to a landmine several years ago. With no land now and a family structurally fractured by tragedy, Thoen and Lai’s resilience was stretched to its absolute limit. They didn’t just need charity; they needed a chance to breathe, to work, and to belong.
The window of opportunity opened when ODA’s long-time farm manager made the bittersweet decision to relocate closer to relatives in Phnom Penh Province. His departure left big shoes to fill, but it also left a beautiful vacancy.
Recognizing Thoen and Lai's extensive farming background and the heavy burdens they carried, Leng stepped in with a life-changing offer: a three-month trial to manage the ODA farm, with the option to make it permanent if all goes well.
Today, Thoen and Lai have a home on the property, a stable wage, and fresh food supplied directly from the farm they nurture. The sense of relief radiating from them is palpable. For a couple that had everything taken away, this isn't just employment—it is a sanctuary where they can finally stop running. They are now looking forward, nurturing organic crops that feed our boarding students, while quietly putting down their own roots once again. Lai’s brother and his wife have also taken over caring for their disabled father.
Thriving communities are built on stories just like this one—where despair is met with opportunity, and a place of work becomes a place of healing. Thoen and Lai’s journey reminds us that a home is more than four walls; it is the freedom to breathe, to plan, and to belong.
As we look to the future, we invite you to share with us real-life stories from these villages
EOFY APPLYING TO ODA
ODA’s link to EOFY
As we approach the End Of the Financial Year in Western countries, many of us are taking stock, balancing the books, and looking at how we can make our money work more wisely.
At ODA, this time of year represents something very different. It’s the moment we look ahead to the next 6 months of schooling, and calculate exactly how many rural students we can support with the uniform, books, and English classes we need to continue delivering the free English and IT skills to assist these keen students in breaking the cycle of poverty.
If you or your children have an interest in a business and are looking to make tax-deductible contributions before June 30, we invite you to invest directly in village children’s future. Through our proud partnership with Global Development Group (GDG), every dollar you give goes directly to our educational programs and is fully tax-deductible in Australia, the USA, New Zealand, and UK Gift Aid links increase your donation from there.
Here is what your EOFY gift can achieve before the clock strikes midnight on June 30:
$35 USD covers a full school uniform and basic learning materials for a student in our outlying villages.
$75 USD funds supplementary English and computer literacy resources for a class for an entire month.
$150 USD helps us maintain our single-room village schoolhouses, keeping them safe, dry, and ready for learning.
$350 USD Laptops for students' classes to work on.
$???? USD Toward Dental, Doctor, Hospital relating to Dengue Fever, overheads, wages, gasoline, the list goes on and on.
Why give before June 30? It’s a rare win-win. You reduce your taxable income for the 2025/26 financial year, and our students receive the stable, consistent education they need to change their lives.
(Please select the Donate Here’ button and note GDG Project J1068N ODA.
Please also send us a short note noting EOFY Giving.
P.S. To claim your deduction in this year’s tax return, donations must be processed before 11:59 PM on Tuesday, 30 June. Thank you for helping us finish the global financial year strong!
INVESTING IN TOMORROW’S LEADERS: How a Youth Leadership Course Transformed Sophorn and Me Reack
At ODA, our goal has always been to provide improved future employment opportunities for our students. But as our senior students grow, we want to give them more than just academic skills—we want to give them the tools to lead and grow teams.
Through Marty’s Great Fundraising Crew, we recently invested in sending two of our bright senior students, Sophorn and Me Reack, to an intensive Youth Leadership Course in Siem Reap. For rural village youth, stepping outside their usual environment to learn alongside new peers is a massive milestone. They returned not just with new knowledge, but with an entirely new sense of self.
Some of the topics raised were: Problems with English learning (rural children)
1 Lack of teachers.
2 Not many English classes.
3 Lack of funds for organizing lessons.
4 Because parents think it is not important.
5 Because foreign languages are not developed in rural areas
Here is what this opportunity meant to them:
Sophorn’s Takeaway: Getting Confidence and Finding Myself
For Sophorn, the course was an eye-opener on how to navigate the professional and personal challenges of adulthood. He focused heavily on practical life skills:
Understanding the importance: “Learning the basics of time management and how to manage money in my future.”
The Power of a Team: “ It was good learning how to work in a group and how to learn from the different skills of others.”
Finding My Voice: "Overall, I love the course because I feel I know it more now," Sophorn shared. "The teachers made everything easy to understand, and it helped me learn how to make myself more confident.”
Sophorn said, “I would love to join again if given a chance”.
ME REACK’S TAKEAWAY: Being Happier With Myself and Now Happy Searching and Going in Different Ways Than Before.
Me Reack found that the course pushed her boundaries, teaching her crucial interpersonal and problem-solving tools:
Handling Feelings and Problems: “Learning how to control my anger at myself and work out how to solve problems step-by-step.”
Finding Courage: “Gaining the bravery to speak publicly, give clear feedback, and design group activities.”
A Wider Worldview: "It was like a big chance for me to go outside and see more people, friends, and teachers, which makes me understand more things.
Me Reack reflected. "I recommend that you somehow get some more ODA students to join the course because it makes you think differently and is very good for us all.”
When you support ODA, you cultivate transformation from the ground up. From providing rice and a safe farm sanctuary for refugees to equipping our youth with vital leadership skills, your generosity changes lives. With the End of the financial year just around the corner, your tax-deductible gift today is the perfect opportunity to sow seeds of hope that will flourish for generations.
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