Give kids fish and they will eat for a day.
Teach kids how to fish and they will eat for a lifetime.
Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism.
Educate kids and they will thrive (roar out of poverty).
Khmer visionary Touch LENG, founder of ODA.
When we educate bright youngsters, magic can happen (and has in our case). 10 - 15 years after ODA began supporting the education of very bright youngsters in subsistence farming villages in Siem Reap District Cambodia you may wonder what we would create.
Touch LENG, the founding director of ODA, is an “ideas man” with a vision stretching far into the future. Inspired by the need to feed 40 resident children during the COVID-19 pandemic, he attended an online course about hydroponic fish farming to improve the productivity of ODA Central’s existing fish farm. He discovered a package available in Phnom Penh, shown above.
In September 2021 he gained support from a local business woman in Siem Reap to sponsor the purchase of the package.
The package arrived and the talented highly educated ODA team took over and built another (better) fish and hydroponic farm at ODA Central farm..
So the fish farm stocked and fish growing to plan, it’s on to the next steps of using the water run off to water and fertilise the vegetable seedlings
My name is Peav. I am a qualified plumber and I manage the daily operations here at the ODA Central fish farms.
Now how can we best do this? Shade cloth was used to protect, as insects and birds like vegetables too.
My name is Lai Hun and I am studying accountancy at university in Siem Reap. I manage the finances. I also like to plant vegetables.
My name is Theary and I am studying year 4 Civil Engineering at university in Siem Reap. I am the “boss” of building the fish farm.
Harvesting. Things grow fast in Cambodia. Seeds are germinated
then transplanted and grow quickly
Sok Leek (shown with Leng here) was in a coma for a month (“died”) following an accident when a young child prior to joining ODA, but he loves to help in the garden.
And now we eat the fruits of our labours!!! Ahhh, that’s tastes nice and nutritious also.
We helped too don’t forget. Ummm and so fresh.
“Would you like some too?” So Cheata asks, “I love to share”.
Thank you to all ODA donors for setting up the framework in which enterprise and education across various categories can happen to benefit these young people.
Extra thanks Bob, one of our long term supporters and volunteers, for this content.
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