How the Fund Was Started

In 2006 Nancy's hairdresser, Chanra Chheum, told Nancy that she had purchased a bicycle for the village where her sister lives. Most of the villagers have no transportation - no cars or motorbikes or even bicycles. A bike, shared by the village, is valuable to go to markets, clinics, or schools. That single bike Chanra bought cost only $40, but had a huge impact on the village. At the time, we were about to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. Nancy got to thinking, "40 dollars, 40 years, why not buy a bike for the village as an anniversary gift to each other." When we mentioned this to our friends they wanted to help and the Cambodian Village Fund was born.

Cambodia was destabilized during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s. As American troops pulled out of Vietnam in the mid-1970s, the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, took control of Cambodia, and the era we now call the "Killing Fields" began. Millions of Cambodians were moved out of cities and placed in rural work camps. Hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions, of Cambodians were killed by this brutal regime. The country was devastated. When we first visited Cambodia in 2002 we were shocked by the dilapidated infrastructure, the poverty, the disease and the number of injuries caused by land mines. But we were heartened by the spirit of the people, the wonderful history and culture of Cambodia, and by Angkor Wat, one of the most impressive ancient ruins we have seen. When the idea to help a village in Cambodia arose, we thought that Cambodia is a place that needs and deserves any help we can provide.