27/08/2026
Last night, honorary member Cecily Graetz spoke on her recent trip through Cambodia with a Rotarian-led, non-profit organisation “Sustainable Cambodia”. S.C. works with the rural Cambodian villagers, helping them achieve sustainable & self-sufficiency through wells, irrigation systems, schools, training and empowerment.
Her group of 5 started the trip with the first few days in Phnom Penh. First visiting the Killing Fields and Genocide Museum, which is essential to put the county’s situation into perspective. Then on a lighter note, tours of the Royal Palace & Gardens, Pagodas, Economy & Money Museum, and wandering through several markets, both day and night, to be amazed at the variety of “food” etc on offer. Also meeting with some University students & graduates from Sustainable Cambodia schools, some of whom now work for S.C.
Next they drove 4 hours to the city of Pursat. An unbelievable welcome was given by the students at Sustainable Cambodia’s Headquarters, Sylvia Lasky Memorial School. Over 400 children (some sponsored) from Year 3-12 attend in several ‘shifts’ each day. Here they presented the school supplies they had brought and planted shady trees for the students.
The group visited several other schools in the S.C. programme, off the tourist routes, as well as 2 rural villages - the first, a “before Global Grant village” where S.C. is working with village leaders in preparation for the improvements to be made. The second was a “graduate village”, which after a greeting by all the villagers we were treated to a celebration, with music & local treats in appreciation for the water filters, pumps and other life changing improvements S.C had helped with.
A highlight of their stay was attending the Changeover Dinner of the Rotary Club of Pursat.
Farewelling all at Pursat, they travelled over 4 hours through rural landscapes, towns and rice paddies to Siem Reap. The high point of this stay was the sunrise tour of Angkor Wat, followed by the Bayon temple and afternoon at the Ta Prohm temple, famous from Tomb Raider.
A visit to an NGO training African rats to help with landmine removal was extremely interesting and informative.
They visited a Hospitality Training School, which is sponsored by a Rotary Club in the Blue Mountains. Another must tour is to a Floating Village on Tonle Sap Lake, where houses sit on giant stilts or float on the water (November - March). Dry when Cecily visited, but still amazing!
In all, an unbelievable experience that she would highly recommend!
Cecily also added - "We were expertly guided by a group of absolutely wonderful Rotarians, Sustainable Cambodia Directors and the Rotary Club of Pursat - Thank You"
