Children living in the rural areas or from disadvantaged families often are expected to support the family income and work in menial jobs such as working in the fields, rubbish collection, as labourers and are at risk of being trafficked. Gaining an education is out of reach for many and the monks at Wat Damnak recognised one way to help break this cycle was to support these vulnerable communities and provide educational opportunities to their children. Therefore the programmes run by LHA are designed to enable the most disadvantaged to gain education and improve their options in life.
We currently run 3 programmes:
Programme for Advancing Girls Education PAGE
This is our longest running programme and so far has helped over 200 young women.
We currently have 14 students who will graduate high school in August this year and we have already started to secure university scholarships for them. over the past 3 years these girls have grown into smart and motivated young women who are destine to go on to bigger and better things. You can check out our Stories page to see what some of our students have achieved.
Sewing Vocational Training Programme funded by the Park Hyatt Hotel Siem Reap
gives young women from poor families the chance to improve their future prospects by learning sewing and other basic life/work skills. The students taught sewing, English and basic life skills, to prepare them for a brighter future. Their attendance is made possible by the provision of food and accommodation. At the end of the course, each students are given a sewing machines, a materials starter pack so that they can use their new skills to earn a living well into the future.
We understand that some young girls are not able to manage at high school level as their education has been interrupted for many reasons. The sewing Training Programme was set up for girls who were not so academically prepared but wanted to learn a skill. Since its beginning in 2008 we have had over 100 young women through our programme and many have gone on to run their own shop or have found employment in this field in and around Siem Reap. 
Sustainable Communities Project
Sustainable Community Project (SCP), formerly known as Food for Education, operates in five villages around Siem Reap. The families agree to send their children to their local school. LHA also operates programs for school sponsorship, medical care, health education, income generating activities and home building in these target areas. Peace-house building is included in this project.
In Cambodia there are vulnerable communities where families struggle to earn enough income to survive. Suffering from social issues such as alcohol abuse, domestic violence, gambling, drug dependency and poor health lock people further in the cycle of poverty. These communities have little opportunity to get out of this cycle.
As part of their social mission with the local communities the monks of Wat Damnak provide support to these poor communities in times of need so the Sustainable Communities Project it is an extension of this idea.
This project supports the families of our PAGE and Sewing School students as well as other disadvantaged families in the community. As part of this support the families work hard to overcome their social problem and improve their lifestyle.
We currently provide support to 19 families in various communities and are supported by Rice for Cambodia.
