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I was looking for a place to live with nothing but red dirt roads around me. I like being off the beaten path and surrounded by nature. I prefer quiet village life where everyone waves when you path by. I wanted to hear birds, crickets, and rain.

I met a Cambodian man who offered to build me a custom home on his coconut plantation. I happily agreed, what an incredible opportunity! Two months later, I was living in my beautiful little two-story home with a glass bottle brick wall and a beautiful patio that looks over greenery and mountains as far as the eye can see. So, I live here with my little animal family.

I have so much peace here and inspiration. When I write my books and articles, I voice record them in the notepad on my iPhone. I sit in my hammock or out on the patio, I look out into the beautiful green landscape like I’m doing right now. And, I just talk as if I’m talking to you or one of my best friends.

Right now, there is the sound of rain on the roof, beautiful low-hanging mystical clouds over the mountains that make me feel like I’m in a storybook from once upon a time. There is an ancient tree that I look out at, constantly reminding me of the power and resilience of nature. My boyfriend is singing romantic Brazilian music and playing his guitar in the background.

I am feeling really lucky to be alive. I love the life that I created for myself. I could be working a 9 to 5 in a city somewhere, but instead, I’m a writer who runs a free education project in the rural countryside. 

My main objective is to be a part of a movement that raises the consciousness of humanity, at this time in our world.

I’m so grateful for myself that I created this life. I am so grateful for you, thank you for reading this and being a part of this beautiful journey with me. I hope I can inspire you to create the life of your dreams and to believe in a kind of world where we all get to do what we love.

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There are all types of worldwide charities, so you can choose one that will pair well with your chosen field. There are environmentally based organizations, human rights, work with animals, social enterprises and so many more. When you imagine where you would like to be of aid in our world, you can then pursue the option that best suit you. You will have to look at yourself and see what your strengths are and how you can help. This will be important information that you should include in your resume. 

Once you get to the place of working with this foundation, you will then be able to show your potential employer that you care about our world and making a difference. You are demonstrating that you can take action when action needs to be taken! Worldwide charities are making excellent initiatives and as part of a team like that, you will be able to show where you can function well on a team. These are all important attributes, for any job you may be applying for. 

Undertaking volunteer work, in particular, is exhibiting that you have the drive and motivation to do something you care about, even if it is not for material gain. This is something that an employer wants to see. To have the ability to stick to something, even when it is difficult, because you want to make a difference is a person that just about anyone would want to represent or be a part of their company. Involvement in worldwide charities is an indication that you have heart and that you are part of assisting our world, not just talking about it.

All in all, there are so many qualities that those who work within worldwide charities hold. To recap, there is a dedication to aiding a cause that benefits the field of work you are applying for, you must examine your strength and abilities, realizing and appreciating where your attributes are on a team,  that you believe one person can make a difference and that you are willing to do your part and create a better world. These qualities amongst holding strong to your beliefs, self-confidence, compassion, and kind-heartedness are all virtues and behavior traits that employers are looking for. Individuals that can show their values and characteristics emanate natural strength and self-leadership tendencies.  Working amongst others that are involved with worldwide charities, will definitely give you more ideas, as well!

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Hello to our beautiful Red Road supporters!

It’s been a while since we last checked in. As the world has been so crazy, we have been focused on what we can do to be sustainable in these times: Improving facilities, our product line, and taking care of our staff.

We had to shut the school down when Cambodia requested it of us, so the past few months, we’ve been focusing on improving the farm, volunteer quarters, and getting our moringa skincare line perfected. 

To be honest, it was a bit of a welcomed break, since we have been going nonstop for the past 6 1/2 years!  We’ve had classes every day for the past five years, and it was nice to take some time for maintenance and work on becoming organically sustainable. 

Without the salary of our teachers, we were able to make enough money in sales of moringa, bamboo straws, homemade mango chutney, upcycled glass, and bottle bricks to support our on-site caretaker, Bong Da. He just got two one-month-old ostriches for the farm, so exciting, so cute!

These last few months allowed us to see how close to sustainability we are.

We have created this 3-step skincare line with moringa, 100% pure honey, galangal and turmeric! It consists of:

-A creamy moringa, turmeric cleanser 
-A detox and glow scrub 
-And then of course our 100% pure Moringa oil serum.

All the ingredients are grown on-site with help from our volunteers and local farmers, and it’s so incredible to see what happens to your skin when you don’t use chemicals on it.

Our customers in Cambodia absolutely love the 3-step skincare line, and I’ve seen the skin of our customers, as well as my own skin completely improve! Fine lines diminished, blackheads disappearing, and a beautiful natural glow! We have even gotten in contact with a Danish skincare clinic who is now going to test out our products on scandinavian skin. We are so excited about these new products! It’s such a pleasure to be providing this to our friends and customers!

As of now, we need support from our donors to start up small group tutoring classes and get our products abroad.

We are SO excited about our new product line, for every $150 donated, we would like to send our donors the three-step Moringa skincare line.

We are so grateful to all of you and are very excited about all these beautiful initiatives to be fully self-sustaining!! We are almost there!!! To receive the skincare line, please email Garrett@theredroadfoundation.org with a screen shot of your donation receipt or just reply to this email. 
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IN THE FUTURE

We have some great news about our future projects:
Before the pandemic happened, we had professors from Montana State University out to see our projects to check out collaboration possibilities for this and future years. The dean has approved a certified leadership class in collaboration with the Red Road Foundation!

We also had a professor from Brown University coming who runs a leadership in experiential learning project that supports-get this- Women running experiential learning projects for sustainability and leadership in Southeast Asia!! I know, it’s too perfect!

Furthermore, we have a new collaboration with The Leap UK, who are gap year experts and are going to be collaborating with us, as well! We have six students booked through them for January to come out and do our internship program!

Last but not least, we have a group of students from a private school in Saudi Arabia who are interested in joining us for our one of a kind expedition next year!

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There is, indeed something to be said for a Cambodian, white-sand Christmas. It’s a different kind of Christmas and I happen to like it. I’ll be walking down the sandy beach seeing ex-pats, locals and tourists in their beach attire with a Santa hat and it really makes me smile. Though the Cambodians don’t generally celebrate Christmas in their own culture, they do captivate the spirit of Christmas in their day-to-day lives, every day. The Cambodian way of life is all about being grateful for what we have, celebrating and spending time with the ones we love. Christmas is about sitting around in a circle and sharing stories, laughing and appreciating our lives/ loved ones. This spirit is something that we can feel very strongly in Cambodia, on the regular. I believe packing up the family for a Cambodian Christmas would be a huge hit and a Christmas to never forget! It would be a Christmas filled with the true spirit of gratitude that sometimes has gotten misconstrued by corporations and competition.

In my optimistic opinion, the times are changing and many don’t want all the random stuff that we buy each other that ends up in a bottom drawer somewhere. Money is better spent by having enriching experiences with the ones we love. These experiences will last forever and they will change the way that we live our day-to-day lives. Hopefully these types of experiences can bring us closer together, help us re-prioritize and bring more gratitude into our lives, which is what I think Christmas is all about. In the past year, I’ve seen many more people thinking this way and instead of buying useless gadgets and clothes, people are spending their resources on experiences and donating to charities. I think this is a really great way to do Christmas and you can be sure to still get a delicious roast dinner… even on the beach! As many western people have decided to move away from Western society all together and move to Cambodia, they are here to ensure you find a delicious Christmas dinner that we look so forward to. So, after a day of tanning, laughing, singing, games and swimming, you can pull up for a no mess-no fuss Christmas dinner! One could even get back to work for the new year with a tan, as beach weather is perfect this time of year!

So, this holiday season, why not try something new? I’m sure you’ll have a Christmas to never forget! Whether you spend it on a sandy beach, on a high-rise, rooftop pool in the bustling cities, in a quaint fishing village by the river or out in the rural countryside I’m sure you will expand your perception of what Christmas truly means. When you let the beauty of Cambodia and its magnificent people into your heart, you will be changed forever. The spirit of Christmas thrives in Cambodia. So, cheers to this Christmas and the true spirit of gratitude and appreciation! You’ll find me with my toes in turquoise water, butt in white sand, pina colada in hand, Santa hat with a bikini and gratitude in my heart. Of course, there is also no holiday cleanup to be grateful for! There are many reasons to keep the spirit of Christmas alive year-round and I hope you do! Wherever you are and wherever you go, may your Christmas be merry and may you be truly thankful for all the blessings that we are so blessed to have every day.

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Currently in the US we have our Moringa powder for sale. If you’re not familiar with this incredible superfood, it is quite the miracle plant, in fact they call it the miracle tree which is native to India. It can be ingested or apply topically with coconut oil. It is an incredible remedy for digestion problems, skin health, all your daily vitamins that amino acids, Great for skin and nails, energy boosting and immune boosting! If you have not tried any of our organic Moringa powder, please look into trying it out! We see incredible results with this product And all proceeds go to running the school. They come in very cute glass containers and I excellent Holiday presents. (Please contact us if interested in products more info: CLICK HERE)

We are collaborating with an organization called plastic free Cambodia to make posters in the Khmer language that we will be putting up in the village, they are also hosting a workshop at our school for the kids and their parents about the dangers of burning plastic trash and letting a disintegrate into the fields where we grow crops. If I had several very passionate and loving volunteers come out and share their construction skills, teaching skills, sports classes and music circles.

We have a care-taking family that has been working with us for two years and does an excellent job with helping our volunteers, maintaining the farm, picking the kids up from the school, pumping the water and helping with general overall overseeing of the project. This year they got a bonus, there is a portion of our land that we have signed over to them, and we are supporting them to start beekeeping there. This will give them an opportunity to grow and make some additional income additional to what the Red Road can provide. They are excited to learn the new skill set and feeling very proud that they will have it to pass down to their children. They do not own any land at this time, they simply live on site at our school and take care of everything. This new opportunity and bonus that they have received for their hard work the past two years has meant more to them than we can describe in words.

Thank you for your continued support.

The post Sustainable Free Education Center Update appeared first on The Red Road Foundation.

Finally!!! The Red Road Foundation‘s drinking glasses are available for the first time in the United State. These glasses are being sold exclusively at Bellingham Public Market by TERRA Organic & Natural Foods. By purchasing them, you support the sustainability of our Free Education Center and join us in our mission to support the Khmer people- as they as they rise from the ashes of genocide- to revive the light of their culture, artistry, and education. So, raise those glasses! Cheers to being the change!

Garrett Ginjah

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While working with a charity organization, you and your team may decide that the best possible future for it is to become sustainable. When you know all the hard work that goes behind raising funds and keeping staff consistent, it may seem like the only way to truly make long-term goals happen. Well your right. Based on my research and the few companies that actually create social and economic sustainability all have one thing in common. They invest in the locals and their ideas to get them to a place where they can work and profits can go into sustaining the project. This will involve you supporting local business that is capable of succeeding in the area. As the business you set up for your charity organization begins to make profits, it goes directly into running current programs within the charity organization. It is then that the charitable organization can exist without the dependence on fundraising efforts and when you leave will remain sustainable.

The first thing you will want to examine is the resources in the area of your charity or organization. The number one resource is people with small businesses, then look at problems that you can help solve. Are there things that could be recycled, do people have much extra time on their hands to make craft products, is there something you could grow or raise at the project site that would be able to thrive? It is important to see what types of things that locals are making, maybe even enable and empower family businesses by exporting or marketing overseas for them. The fee or percentage you charge for that service, will be able to help fund your charity organization. As you also, empower local small businesses, it will be clear to see, that as you grow, they grow and vice-versa. When you raise the quality of life for those around the project, you raise the livelihood of the charity organization.

Next important thing to consider is production. You will be able to employ local people and increase trade knowledge in your area which is powerful. Having local people on your team who are working to aid the project is very important for sustainability. To be adopted into a community as a project for the people and by the people is very impressive and will gain high regard among locals.
Another thing to look at is what is easy to assemble and what is not. You may not be able to easily acquire certain things for packaging or refining products. You will need to look at if it is more lucrative to sell raw products or to create a product on site. This will depend on your market base and where you foresee your clientele being the greatest.  There are so many options and opportunities for how you can advance your charity organization to being self-sustainable.

With all things considered, whichever direction your new business takes, will need to be one that is the lowest cost to the organization and can empower and employ local people. We always need to remember that all is interconnected. When looking at the area your charity organization exists within, you will be able to brainstorm what assets and resources are available. Start small and let it grow naturally. By doing this you will allow the business idea to grow and morph into the most beneficial to the charity organization and those who live near and around it.

Take a look at what new projects we have going! Also please reach out, I’m always happy to help and collaborate!

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