You could be drilling a bore hole to install a water pump, or conducting maintenance work on pumps already in place. You could be educating about the importance of keeping hydrated, and demonstrating how to purify drinking water. You could be planting trees, making vegetable patches, building fish ponds and teaching people how to build efficient compost heaps. You could be building sanitation facilities such as showers and toilets, and educating about the importance of recycling and the proper disposal of waste. You could be building a library for a rural school, or helping to build a clinic or community centre. If you like some hard manual labour and you like getting your hands dirty, then this is the project for you.

The Tuk Tuk to work in the morning will be slow and bumpy, and if you’re here in the rainy season don’t be surprised if you have to get out and push! The work is hard and physically demanding, the heat is sweltering, and the sun requires you to wear long sleeves, trousers and a big hat to avoid heat-stroke or sun-burn. English is not usually spoken in rural areas, so expect to rely entirely on your Khmer project manager or coordinator for any communication you may want to have with the local people.

But on the other side of the coin, you will develop an understanding of the challenges faced by those living in rural poverty, and the psychological, political and economic obstacles that stand in the way of change. You will experience the real Cambodia far from even the most adventurous of backpacker routes, and you will meet, work alongside and help real Cambodians. You’ll get to eat a traditional Cambodian lunch, which couldn’t be more different from the ‘Cambodian’ food you’ll find on the Siem Reap Street Stalls. And come the afternoon, you’ll be back at your guesthouse to relax with a cold drink and chill out with the other volunteers. That is unless you would like to arrange a temporary home-stay, sleeping in a hammock, under the stars and in the middle of nowhere – an extreme cultural experience!

With the vast majority of poverty in rural areas, this is an excellent opportunity for students of development and those looking for a career in the sector to experience development first-hand. It is an equally excellent opportunity for those who want to see the real Cambodia, want to make a difference, and want to get sweaty and dirty in the process.

Typical Working Day

Let us start by emphasizing that there is no ‘typical working day’ on a MaD project. The nature of voluntary work in a developing country is that plans and priorities change at a moment’s notice. olunteers will generally be working from Monday to Friday, though you may have to be flexible at times. Sometimes you’ll volunteer from 3pm to 7pm, other times from 7am until 3pm, and if there is an opportunity to stay on site you could find yourself volunteering all day long! You’ll have to be prepared to take whatever the day throws at you.