The Red Road Foundation‘s first project is named
Project Phoenix
After the immortal bird that is cyclically and continually reborn. A phoenix creates new life by arising from the ashes of what preceded it. A phoenix is a beautiful symbol for souls redefining their lives and missions in the world through recovery from past pain.
Play Video
Mission Statement
Our Mission is to foster Cambodian youth to become the future humanitarian leaders of the country by empowering them to realize their full potential through all necessary skills, healing, tools, and resources.
Project Phoenix is a Community Development Project in rural Cambodia. Due to the genocide of the Khmer Rouge, Cambodians have been left with a traumatized adult population and a generation of uneducated children in poverty. These children are of the most eager to learn and bring help to their peers and family. We believe that in bringing necessary resources to these children, they will have the tools to bring healing and opportunity to each other.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a sanctuary within a village community where we can educate, employ, and share trade skills with local villagers and create a communal environment. It here we will be able to bring awareness and empower our students to make a stance in the face of the sex industry, poverty, and extreme abuse. Our children will be educated in a safe place to heal, and the community will benefit from a school and self-sustaining farm that will bring nutrition and trade skills to all. We will create an environment where the community is empowered to add to our project and will establish a symbiotic program to continually fund schooling for locals, nurturing native tradition/spirituality, as well as growing nutritional crops. One crop we are growing is the miraculous Moringa tree which has 7x the Vitamin C of an Orange, 4x the Vitamin A of a carrot, 4x the calcium of milk, 3x the potassium of bananas, and 2x the protein of yogurt. We will be able to craft balms, teas, and vitamins as supplemental income for the community. Furthermore, we will bring nutrition and new trade knowledge to all involved.
Our school will be open to all community members with specialized teachings during segments of the day. We will nurture the arts, local ideas,human rights, environmental awareness and skill as well as have spiritual mentors and inspirational speakers and specialized trade workshops.
WHY????
We are committed and invested in establishing the Phoenix Project because we believe that we are all equal and united as humans. We have confidence that when we empower our fellow humans, we all succeed. We have begun to gain an understanding of Cambodia’s tumultuous history and are empathetic to the hardships the Cambodian people are still facing. We are invested in doing our part to help by compassionately fostering the dreams and abilities of children toward becoming educated future leaders of the country. We strive to be a part of the country’s healing journey and believe in educating youth in order to ensure a bright future generation.
The Phoenix Project consists of the following programs:
1. A Free Education Center for all Villagers
This will be a safe place to share knowledge for kids not going to school, supplemental education for those in a government school, and trade classes and workshops for any villager who is interested and willing.
Intended Results:
- Create a school system that will sufficiently educate our students and provide them with a global perspective.
- Offer employment opportunities to an educated Khmer staff and aid them in furthering their skills.
2. A sustainable farm growing fruits, vegetables, and raising farm animals as a resource for the children and employees of Project Phoenix.
Cultivation of extra nutritional trees and plants such as moringa and papaya.
The farm has a water well that now brings in fresh drinking water.
Integration of modern sustainable cultivation with traditional agriculture.
Involvement of farmers from surrounding villages to learn sustainable farming who can participate and benefit from the production of the farm.
For our the products we make from our harvests to sustain the financial needs of the school.
Intended Results:
- Create a sustainable farm and introduce low impact techniques that promote higher production and nutritional value.
- Integrate eco-friendly technology utilizing natural resources with traditional Cambodian agriculture.
- Educate our children and staff about innovative technology that stimulates pollution elimination, conversion of waste into energy, and recycling all emphasizing the importance of taking care of the environment.
3. A scholarship/micro loan program
A scholarship program/micro loan access that supports trade skills and an extracurricular program with classes that support interests such as the arts, farming, fishing, sports, and business skills.
Scholarships for graduates of the programs to fund further education and/or skill training.
Work individually with students to find opportunities and provide graduates with the necessary skills and resources for a viable future and successful reintegration back into Cambodian society.
Classes and training for the particular interests of our kids.
Intended Results:
- Establish a scholarship program that provides funding for university education and trade skills.
- Micro-loans for new businesses providing young entrepreneurs with funding and resources.
- Encouragement of our children and young adults to pursue their passions and provide resources to foster their dreams and goals
4. Recycled Glass Production
In Cambodia today, there is still little and sometimes no public services. Rubbish collection is privatized and only in city areas. Glass will not be collected in the rubbish bins, consequently glass bottles and broken glass has become a major problem. It is here that we add to the sustainability aspect of our program. Through the manufacturing of recycled glass products we will create revenue to financially support or community development project and bring further awareness about recycling.
Our next project is to make a ball mill where we can turn the glass we currently have no use for into sand. The sand can then be used for construction or ascetic purposes.
We are currently seeking funding to enable us to progress to this stage
Please feel free to donate.
© 2020 theredroadfoundation. 501(c)(3) Tax Free EIN # 46-2638971 / Design: Garrett Riggio