While we were in Siem Reap, we met with Mr. Sedtha Long, the founder of BFT and a survivor of the Khmer Rouge, one of the worst genocides in human history.  Like most children at that time, he was taken from his family and enslaved, forced to work from 5am to midnight on very little to survive.  After torturous years, and losing many of his family members he managed to escape to the Thai border, and start a life in the refugee camps.     Being one of the few educated survivors, he started development work in the camps, assisting many orphaned children. He started teaching in the camps, along with educating western volunteers about Cambodian culture & issues, something he continues to practice today. Sedtha also started bringing in Buddhist monks & nuns to help people deal with crisis issues and understand morality even in such demanding times.  He even took on Thai kick-boxing, crossing the border to compete and earn money to bring back to the camps.

Once the civil war was over and people were allowed to return to Cambodian cities, he realized his primary goal in life had been defined by the struggle inflicted on him.  The programs we visited at BFT put the focus on education and business tools as the key to developing economic stability and personal well-being along with peace for the individual family, and hence the whole of Cambodian society. BFT works in various villages around Siem Reap province and empower the people living below poverty line to attain a better standard of living, while strengthening their growth for ongoing development.

We highly suggest taking a tour of the rural villages that BFT supports and to learn more about this comprehensive community planning and develpment they are creating all over Cambodia. You can take a tour or volunteer, as they are looking for help with any of the following fields:

Medical, Teachers, Technology Experts, Social work & Counseling, Child Support, Construction & Carpentry, Agriculture & Farming, Administration/Office work