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A project to educate Cambodia’s kids of the importance of heritage preservation as they are the future stewards of the country’s past.
Heritage Watch was founded in 2003 by archaeologist Dougald O’Reilly following the rampant looting of Phum Snay, an immense Iron Age burial ground in Cambodia’s northwest.
Cambodia’s great archaeological heritage is being decimated by widespread looting. Heritage Watch is a non-profit organization dedicated to halting this destruction and saving Cambodia’s cultural legacy.
Their most recent campaign focuses on the youth of Cambodia, and they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to help fund this latest initiative…
One of our most popular projects to date was the production and distribution of a Khmer language comic book called “Wrath of the Phantom Army” that tells the story of poor villagers who are encouraged to loot their home town. However, there are scary consequences. Reviving the tradition of ‘horror story’ comics has become very popular and thus, it is our venue for this media. Heritage Watch originally distributed this comic nationwide. Now we have integrated it into a comprehensive project called ‘Heritage for Kids’.
Heritage for Kids involves developing a series of classes on historic preservation for teachers at primary and secondary schools in Cambodia. Part of the curriculum includes reading and reviewing “Wrath of the Phantom Army” and another of our popular children’s books ‘If the Stones Could Speak’. These books, together with a colouring book and the teacher’s guide, will help educate younger Cambodians about the importance and value of their cultural heritage. In the end, these younger Khmer will not only learn, but perhaps inform the rest of their communities, as well as their own families, on the importance of preserving their heritage.
Journeys Within is proud to donate to this important cause and we hope that you will join us.
Click here for the project’s Kickstarter fundraising page. (The campaign must be funded by June 12, 2015)