The village chief of Srei Kmorngh in Takeo province stands in the village's school.
Small Gifts. Great Hopes. Strong Desires.
The mission of The Pookai Book Project is to help the restoration of Cambodia by gathering funds and need-specific books for the Angsoeng Library in rural Takeo province. These donations will promote literacy, accelerate education, speed economic development and empower Cambodians to take their place on the world stage.
Please read our bylaws or review our tax-exempt status for more information about the organization's structure.
How it Works.
The Pookai Book Project helps Cambodian libraries and schools in ways they could never afford. Many people in the developed world would gladly donate a book or give $25 to a struggling school. But the cost wiring funds or sending books to a far-flung location discourages such generosity. Plus, fledgling Cambodian organizations don't have the means to tap into many overseas resources.
The Pookai Book Project works as a clearinghouse for donations - allowing generous individuals around the world to make small but vital contributions to the growth of Cambodia. The Project seeks out only the most necessary books for its clients, providing critical assistance while not overwhelming the often small and brittle buildings of the Cambodian organizations.
Why a Book Project in Cambodia?
Before the Vietnam War spilled into this Southeast Asian nation, Cambodia was known as the “Island of Peace.” But a coup and civil war in the mid-1970s sent the country spiraling into violence and the hands of the Khmer Rouge, a violent communist regime responsible for the deaths of 2 million Cambodians. The Khmer Rouge, who wanted to create a new agrarian society cleansed of the past, destroyed books and killed the educated.
Cambodia is left with a resource gap – particularly when it comes to resources in which citizens can improve themselves. In addition, infrastructure – power and phone lines and Internet access – are rare in some rural areas.
When possible, wealthy Cambodians often send their children overseas for education. By assisting the nation’s libraries, Cambodians who can’t afford a trip overseas can still have access to education that will allow them to participate in an increasingly global world and improve themselves and their country.
"The Cambodian people badly want the opportunity to improve themselves," said Chris Seper, a Pookai Book Project volunteer who spent two years in Cambodia as a journalist.
Once, when reporting from a small Cambodian city off the Gulf of Thailand, a restaurant owner spied the English written in Chris' reporters' notebook.
"She asked if it was English," Chris said. "She then gathered her children together and said, 'Look at that. That's English. Read. Learn.' They had never seen it before.
"She said that her village had schools, but no teachers to teach them English or French. She feared the school would not improve her childrens' lives."
Our Name
“Pookai” means “smart” in Khmer, the national language of Cambodia. In English, the organization name means, literally, "The Smart Book Project." In Khmer, we are Angkah Seeapoe Pookai.
Staff
The Pookai Book Project is a completely volunteer family run project. All money taken by the project goes toward books, shipping and other expenses or is donated directly to the Angsoeng Library, the first and only client of The Pookai Book Project.