New faces at PEPY

Aim lives next door to Chanleas Dai, so he has been a firsthand witness to PEPY’s programs for the past 3 years.  After graduating 12th grade, Aim was not able to find work as a teacher and returned home to work in agriculture with his family.  He was recently hired as a Project Assistant to replace another Chanleas Dai staff member who has left PEPY for 2 years of teacher training in Battambang.  Aim has already been a great help to our Chanleas Dai staff, assisting in anything and everything from managing equipment and materials to creating and spreading information to community members and schools about upcoming projects.  Aim hopes to follow his predecessors footsteps and use his time at PEPY to increase his skills so that he can attend teacher training in the future.

Ream Noun is no stranger to PEPY—for the past several years he worked as a part-time teacher at Chanleas Dai primary school teaching 3rd and 4th grade and is from a nearby village.  This school year, his position was changed by the government to teach at Rolom Svay, a remote two-room school in the far north of Chanleas Dai commune.  He works only in the morning for the government, and now works with PEPY part-time in the afternoon, mananging afternoon Khmer literacy classes.  Noun is an exceptional teacher  with a wide smile and we are privileged to have him with us.

Chiva is a recent 12th grade graduate from Kampong Cham Province.   Chiva comes to PEPY through STEP, a partner organizations that hopes to work with XO computers in the future and recently received 40 XOs from the OLPC project.  Chiva will be working with us for 3-4 months receiving training on both the technical and teaching side of the XO project and then hopes to return to Kampong Cham to begin a computer program at her rural school.

Adam has spent the last two years leading cycling trips around the world. He has come back to PEPY for the third time because he missed being inspired by his work with PEPY, haggling in the Cambodian markets, and being sweaty. He hopes to learn more Khmer and how to make Indian food (yes, Indian). 

Karina is with PEPY and in Cambodia for the first time. After working from her home state of California with several nonprofit organizations, she is excited to be ‘in the field’ and surrounded by inspiring people. Karina’s internship is focused on voluntourism, promoting best practices for PEPY and the industry as a whole. She loves all the cycling and is looking forward to exploring more of Cambodia.

Kimline, originally from Kompong Cham Province, is PEPY’s new accountant. She has worked in the hotel industry for the past five years, most recently with Victoria Hotel in Siem Reap. This is her first time working with an NGO and PEPY feels fortunate to have her as part of the team! Kimline’s favorite local dish is bamboo soup and she loves Khmer romantic oldies, especially anything by Sin Sisomot.

After six months back in the States, Michael is delighted to be in Cambodia working for PEPY again. His top five list in Cambodia includes biking around the temples of Angkor, Khmer curry, the tranquility of the local Wats, practicing Khmer with tuk-tuk drivers, and the way the streets attack the senses. He especially loves the calm energy of the new PEPY house/office, and the fact that Angkor Wat is in PEPY’s backyard!