One opportunity to pick up a last minute souvenir on your way out of Cambodia is also a successful social enterprise; Mekong Blue has a sericulture farm and silk weaving workshop beside one of their two Stung Treng Kindergartens.
You can generally just drop by and say “hello” to the kids, learn about the production of silk, and purchase silk for a worthy cause.
Mekong Blue is a local success story for the benefits they provide to the disadvantaged. 70% of their budget is paid for through the sale of their silk products, which sold online, at two boutiques in Phnom Penh, and even the Intercontinental Hotel in Phnom Penh.
A bit tricky to find without someone who knows about the project, the Evergreen Community, is an ambitious project to provide free education to hundreds of disadvantaged students in the Stung Treng area. Visitors are welcome to volunteer to perform manual labor or teach english or any other topic that might benefit the children, including community farming and aquaculture (if you have such skills to share). By the end of 2011 Evergreen Community plans to have 6 guest rooms for visitors and volunteers beside a number of homes and gardens for 10 homeless and jobless Cambodian families. A community with strong Buddhist beliefs, Evergreen is a promising social enterprise that makes a worthy stop for a day or a few months!
Finally, le-tonle-guesthouse-and-restaurant provides hospitality training for disadvantaged Cambodians; they have inexpensive rooms for rent and serve meals to non-guests. Visitors are also welcome to give mini-seminars on hospitality topics.
- Mekong Blue Silk: #9 Eo Street 130, Psar Kandal I, Phnom Penh Tel: 855(0)12-609-730
- Evergreen Community: Reacheanukol Village, Stung Treng Tel: 855(0)92-969-121
- Le Tonle Guesthouse and Restaurant: Tel: 855(0)74-973-638/(0)92-674-990
Getting There
The easiest way to reach each is with a motorbike driver who knows where each are located. You may also inquire at your guesthouse or hotel. Le Tonle is easy enough to find on foot or bicycle; its about 1/2 mile west of the ferry pier along the Srepok riverside.
Need to Know
- What is It?: Three social enterprises helping disadvantaged Cambodians in Stung Treng.
- When to Go: Any time of year.
- Nearest Town: Mekong Blue and Evergreen Community are located just outside of Stung Treng Town; Le Tonle is just west of town, about 1 mile along the river road.
- Don’t Miss: Learning about sericulture, the production of silk, and assisting in the development of rural communities by purchasing products or volunteering your time.
- Opening hours: Mekong Blue and Evergreen Community are best visited in the morning or during daylight working hours. Le Tonle can be visited any time of day, though after dinner things wind down pretty quickly.
- Entrance fees: none