Landmine Relief Fund

I'm running the Jemez Mountain Trail Run 15 Miler on May 21st in an attempt to raise money to build rural schools for children in Cambodia.  I've done the race three times before and its brutal (at least for me!)

My wife and I have been lucky enough to have been to Cambodia three times.  Every time we have been struck by the generosity and warmth of the people there. 
Twice we have visited Angkor Wat in the city of Siem Reap and the Cambodian Landmine Museum and we have been humbled by the work they have done.


The Cambodian Landmine Museum was established in 1997 by ex-forced child soldier Aki Ra . After years of fighting he returned to the villages in which he planted thousands of mines and began removing them, by hand, and defusing them with homemade tools.






In 2008 he established a formal demining NGO, Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD) .  CSHD is a separate NGO and apart from the Museum. They clear landmines throughout the country.

The idea for a Relief Facility came around when Aki Ra saw many children wounded by landmines and those in extreme poverty. He brought them to his home, where he and his wife raised them as their own, alongside their own children. Originally, all of the children at the facility were landmine victims. Today the facility cares for children who suffer from a variety of difficulties.

The Relief Facility houses over 2 dozen children from small villages in Cambodia. The children are enrolled in public government school to continue their education. The Facility also has its own school building to enrich the children's education with a computer lab, a library, English language classes, a playground, and a staff of 14.  

The last time I visited the museum there were numerous biographies of the childern that have been helped by this effort and the Rural Schools Village Project and nearly every one made me choke up. 

Thats why I'm trying to raise money for the charity, Rural Schools Village Project, to pay back some of the kindness we received in their country and to try to help build schools for the children of this truely stunning place.  The people we met there are some of the warmest friendliest people we've encountered while traveling which is amazing considering what Cambodia has been through.

So far they have
- Purchased demining equipment and trucks for Cambodian Self-Help Demining
- Built 17 schools for the Rural School Village Program
- Provided 2000 children with school supplies and uniforms
- Supported an additional 5 schools with school supplies

The average monthly cost of a child to attend an RSVP school is less that $2. This includes a chalkboard, notebooks, and writing utensils.

The cost of a school for the Rural School Village program is $14,000. 

The cost of a school with a toilet block and water well for the students and village is $20,000. 

The monthly cost of running a demining mission is $17,000. 

A key thing is that I've seen where the money goes and and I know it is changing lives.  If I could raise $5k - that would be awesome and I'd really appreciate the support!