OUR STORY
In 2007, Phary opened her first English school (KTC) out of personal necessity. There were no English schools in her area, and due to a lack of time, it was challenging for her to take her own children into town. As a result, she decided to build a school at her home and began teaching local children. The school grew quickly, and within no time, she was teaching around 600 students, realizing there was a significant demand for English education. Many students asked if they could attend classes for free, as they couldn’t afford the school fees. In response, she began teaching about 50 children without charge. The school rapidly reached its capacity.
The Journey behind KKO
In 2007, Markus from Germany came to Cambodia. He conducted an evaluation of organizations for the German volunteer program “weltwärts.” Through this, he gained valuable insight into many NGOs across Cambodia and learned what works and what doesn’t. There were numerous small schools and orphanages, some run with great passion, but lacking the necessary knowledge, or even worse, driven by the intention to profit from poor children. On the other hand, there were several schools funded by foreign money and run by foreigners, but without involving Cambodian staff in decision-making processes.
When Phary and Markus met, they shared their ideas. Phary had the vision of building a school to offer free English education to children in rural areas who genuinely wanted to learn but could not afford school fees. She had the knowledge of how to run a school and was driven by the desire to give children and young adults better opportunities for their future, rather than for financial gain. The challenge was that she didn’t know how to finance and organize such a large project. Markus was impressed by her idea. It was exactly what he had been looking for, and he had the time and expertise to research how to establish a school like this. Together, Phary and Markus decided to found the non-governmental organization KKO.
From Vision to Reality: The Creation of the School
With Phary’s expertise in running a successful private English school, we laid the foundation for the new school’s structure. Markus, working with DED/GIZ (German Development Service), had connections at the German Embassy and managed to secure initial funding of $24,115 USD. In May 2010, the first three buildings were constructed on land rented from Phary in the rural area of Chreav Commune: one for English classes, one for motorbike mechanic training, and one for sewing courses. The school initially adopted the curriculum from Phary’s private English school.
Through support from international charity organizations, funding from the German Embassy, and partnerships with associations like DED, we were able to cover the operating costs. In 2011, we launched OFF TRACK Tours, a social business that offers bicycle and motorbike tours, with the aim of supporting the school’s ongoing expenses. In 2016, we expanded our social business by introducing OFF TRACK Accessories, an upcycling fashion label.
