EDUCATION

1. Rural Schools Project (founded 1999) – AAfC established the project, with matching funds from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, to construct over 300 primary and lower secondary schools in rural villages that previously lacked a functional school. Each school is partnered with a donor to provide value-add features, which include: Computers powered by solar panels, Internet / satellite, an AAfC trained English and computer teacher, a school nurse, a vegetable garden, a well or water filter and a bookcase of books.

2. Girls Be Ambitious (2006) – A new program launched in 2006 seeking to prevent the root causes of human trafficking. AAfC finds young girls who have dropped out of school and are at risk of trafficking and sponsors their return to an AAfC enriched primary school. The program is also aimed at empowering women in the society.

3. Bright Future Kids (2006) – Rural youth face significant barriers to fully utilizing their education and skills in a village setting. This program identifies the brightest students within a village and provides scholarships for them to attend an enriched primary school. Afterwards, these students have the opportunity to move to a new youth center, the Bright Future Kids Home. The BFKH provides an accelerated environment, including English and computer training. Students also have the opportunity to attend a top secondary school in Phnom Penh, and ultimately continue on to university.

4. World Links (2005) – AAfC has partnered with the World Bank's international World Links program to build and run IT training centers at five top secondary schools in Cambodia.

5. Great Books in Khmer (2004) – Recognizing the lack of books available to rural youth, AAfC obtained the rights from the author to translate the internationally acclaimed children's book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone into the Khmer language. AAfC then raised the funds to print 10,000 copies and distribute them to students through the Rural Schools network at a subsidized price of 50 cents per book. A second book detailing life under the Khmer Rouge regime, When Broken Glass Flows, is currently in the process of being published in Khmer.

VILLAGE CAPACITY BUILDING (HEALTH, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, TECHNOLOGY)

6. VillageLeap (2000) – This program demonstrates the ability of a remote village cluster or province to thrive when given the right resources and opportunities. VillageLeap began in Robib, a remote cluster of six villages, but has been expanded to four other remote areas: Pailin, Thmei village, Ratanakiri province, and Mondolkiri province. VillageLeap works through three technology-based programs to help enables Cambodian villagers:

• Internet/Motomen – Connect rural schools and health centers to a regional Internet connection using a system of motorcycles equipped with wifi boxes.
  
• Telemedicine – Provide medical access to rural patients through partnership with Sihanouk Hospital – Center of Hope and Harvard Medical School.
  
• Silk Weaving and Paper Crafts – Train local women in traditional silk weaving and/or paper crafts to sell within Cambodia and internationally through e-commerce.