Community Engagement in Soria Moria

“Tourism is a fire – you can cook your food on it, but if you are not careful it can burn your house” (Anonymous)

Despite the millions of dollars generated each year by tourism in Cambodia, Siem Reap remains one of the poorest provinces in Cambodia with only 5 percent of the locals working within the tourism industry. Many families live in rural areas without access to safe drinking water and many locals get by on an annual salary equal to, or even less than, the cost of one nights stay at a four-star hotel in Siem Reap.

Soria Moria is alert to this problem, and is focused on helping the community they work in through various means and actively supports and encourages the interaction of guests and the neighboring environment.

Since the opening stage we have been selective when choosing our suppliers – and whenever possible, we use suppliers which have a direct impact on people’s lives and as such, improve their life chances. We believe in supporting these organizations to assist them to become self sustainable.

Below you will find an introduction to some of the projects Soria Moria actively supports. If you would like more detailed information, or visit some of the projects, please let us know.

NEDO – The Norwegian Educational Development Organisation

NEDO is a non profit and low cost organisation aiming to direct educational aid and sustainable development to third world countries at a minimum cost.
At Soria Moria we actively promote NEDO’s projects:

The White Bicycle Project
By renting a white bicycle, your money will support selected schools in the rural areas of Siem Reap Province and provide water filters and providing clean drinking water to these villages.

The Love-Card Project
By buying love-cards and sending them home you are contributing further to the rural schools as this cost subsidizes teacher’s salaries and maintains school buildings. The children receive art classes where they paint the postcards that are sold to tourists.

Sponsor a student Project
In cooperation with NEDO we also encourage tourists to sponsor students. This can be either for a specialist vocational course, for English classes or to support a student throughout their education.

Sangkheum Center for Children

Meaning “hope” in Khmer, the Sangkheum Center is an education center providing scholastic support and care for hundreds of children in the Siem Reap area.
Soria Moria supports the center in various ways:

Handicrafts training project
As a part of the Sangkheum Centers training program all youths learn to make traditional Cambodian handicrafts. We have purchased handmade baskets from the Sangkheum Center which you will find in your bathroom.

The Iron Workshop
The Iron Workshop was set up in Pouk District in the Siem Reap Province. Its goal is to train young men in a trade, who may otherwise, may not have had the opportunity to secure employment. It aims to be self sustainable, offer professional training to the beneficiaries and support the Sangkheum Center. Soria Moria supports the Iron workshop by purchasing their products. All furniture at our rooftop bar (tables, chairs, barstools and lamps) have been specifically designed and handmade by the Iron workshop. The Iron Workshop has also made all furniture for our outdoor restaurant. This includes the fence, all tables, chairs, candleholders, menu stand and the torch burners for the entrance.

The Silk Lab
The Silk Lab, similarly to the workshop, has been developed to assist the underprivileged women of Pouk District in the Siem Reap Province to help support their families. They produce a beautiful selection of silk products including funky handbags, make up bags or purses. By making a purchase you are not only adding to your wardrobe but making a difference to these people’s lives. All profits the Silk Lab receives go back to support the Sangkheum Center for Children. All the colorful silk decorations in our bedrooms, and decoration in the corridors and the Fusion Kitchen has been exclusively designed and produced for Soria Moria by the Silk Lab. Our boutique on the ground floor is selling Silk Lab products, if you would like to contribute.

Apsara Dancing
The children/youths at the Sangkheum Center learn the traditional Apsara dance and music as part of their Khmer cultural studies. From January 2008 the children have been performing their dances in front of a live audience on a regular basis in Soria Moria’s Fusion Kitchen. The performance is free of charge for everyone who would like to watch, however we encourage donations towards the center. This is a great experience for our guests to enjoy traditional Khmer culture, and for the Sangkheum center to gain income to sustain the project.

LHA - Life and Hope Association:

Life and Hope Association (LHA) is a Cambodian non-profit, non-governmental and non-political organization, established by the young Monks of Wat Damnak here in Siem Reap. The goal of the Association is to improve the lives of orphans, vulnerable children and disadvantaged people, in order to give them HOPE in LIFE and the prospects of a better future. One of their projects to achieve this goal is to provide training in sewing and tailoring. You will find the Fusion Kitchen’s linen and Soria Moria staff in tailor-made uniforms from LHA’s sewing project. Furthermore our guests are able to order tailor-made dresses and shirts from the association. If you would like, they can come to the hotel to measure, fit and deliver the products for our guest. The delivery time is 3 days.

Stone Carving Trainees - Kampong Thom Province

You will find all of Soria Moria’s rooms are decorated with traditional handmade stone carvings. We purposely chose to purchase traditional products made by Cambodian trainees from Kampong Thom in order to support their training and that this particular art remains part of Khmer culture. Our boutique on the ground floor selling Stone Carvings, if you would like to bring one back home.