photography by Rod Andrewartha
Come on a journey. In this full-colour, 128-page book, we take you on a journey through the ancient kingdom of Cambodia. In photographs and words the country will come to life before your eyes.
The book also tells the journeys of students, graduates and staff of the Sala Baï Hotel School in Siem Reap. Each year this school trains, for free, over 100 students in hospitality. It’s exclusively devoted to training underprivileged youths. There’s a bias towards young women since they usually drop out of school earlier to support families and are thus less educated than young men.
In the book you will see the successes that come out of this wonderful school. Meet Hun, whose mother died when she was 5 years old and whose father then abandoned his seven children. Learn about Sopheap, who didn’t go to school until she was ten years old. And there’s Kimsan, who left school at grade seven to help her family find food to survive.
Hun graduated from Sala Baï in July 2017 and was awarded Student of the Year. Sopheap joined a prestigious 5-star hotel upon graduation and now organises adventure tours there. Kimsan was one of the first graduates 15 years ago and, following work in France and Dubai, is the Executive Chef for a chain of 12 restaurants in Siem Reap.
These are just three of Sala Baï’s success stories. There are over 1000 such success stories.
The school is funded by direct sponsors, from guests staying and dining at the school and by other fundraising events around the world.
This book, Cambodian Journeys, is one such fundraiser. All profits from sales are being donated to the school via its Australian fundraising group: Friends of Sala Bai Australia (FOSBA). Our goal is to raise $70,000. Such money will pay the entire year’s tuition for 20 students.
So I invite you to join our journey: buy a copy of Cambodian Journeys below, enjoy the photography along with the amazing, heart-tugging stories, and you will be helping the youth of Cambodia realise its amazing potential.
