The Starfish Project, based in Sihanoukville, aims to provide support to impoverished locals who are in dire need of funding and training in order to survive.
Visitors to the Starfish Bakery and Café can purchase cookies and fresh-baked breads, whose sales cover 100 percent of project’s administrative costs. The Starfish Project has provided direct assistance to thousands of at-risk individuals who aren’t getting help from larger aid organizations.
In addition to the cafe, a massage parlor and various products for sale provide funding for housing, medical care, and business development. Projects have intentionally narrow scopes, with fixed, feasible goals.
There’s not an official volunteer program, but the Starfish Project is grass-roots enough to mobilize when possible. Visitors sometimes stop in, only to find out that their skills-set or experience is exactly what the staff are looking for from a short-term helper.
Getting There
Walk from any hotel in Sihanoukville or take a motodop taxi or tuktuk from any beach.
Need to Know
- What is it? A cafe/massage parlor/community organization that trains and assists impoverished people in Sihanoukville.
- When to go? Anytime of year
- Nearest Town: Located in Sihanoukville, a 4-5 hour bus or taxi ride from Phnom Penh.
- Trivia: The name is based on the parable of the starfish: a Buddhist monk is walking along the coast where countless starfish have washed ashore. The monk singles out one starfish and throws it back into the sea. When his apprentice asks why he bothers saving one when it’s impossible to make a difference with to so many other starfish, the monk says, “It makes a difference to that one.”
- Opening hours: 07:00 to 18:00, daily.
- Entrance fees: no entrance fee.
- Address/website: www.starfishcambodia.org