WELCOME TO PHARE
Phare Ponleu Selpak – meaning The Brightness of the Arts – is a Cambodian non-profit art school located in Battambang, empowering children, youth and communities through artistic, educational, social support and outreach programs since 1994.
Phare Ponleu Selpak – in Khmer, The Brightness of the Arts – is a Cambodian non-profit arts school located in Battambang, offering support to children, youth and the surrounding communities through artistic, educational, social and community outreach and engagement programmes.
Over 1000 students are empowered every year through our schools and programmes: performing, visual and applied arts leisure classes, and vocational training aid children and young adults to develop their creativity, communication and concentration skills, and to access a sustainable artistic career whilst preserving and promoting Cambodian arts and culture.
Support us
Help us spread a passion for the arts across Cambodia. We believe that all children, regardless of their background, deserve to have access to the healing powers of the arts. Our artistic training provides art therapy as well as professional skills that lead to lasting employment. Your donation directly supports these programs.
Help our community escape the cycle of poverty and contribute to a modern cultural Cambodia.
Sponsor a child
Volunteer with Us
Sponsor a child
Do you want to sponsor a child? When you join our child sponsorship program, your monthly gift gives our most at-risk students the aid and support they need to stay in school and pursue their passions.
Volunteer with Us
We welcome committed and passionate volunteers who have specific expertise or experience which fills a current need. Those needs change over time, but some examples of skills often needed are in social media, communications, IT, lighting and sound design, merchandising and customer service.
News & Stories
Keeping our visual art students’ vocations alive thanks to the contribution of FinDac and Tribe Gallery
Those who have visited our campus after fall 2019 must remember the iconic «Anapyabal» mural on our circus building, painted by the world-famous Irish urban artist FinDac. After his visit to Cambodia and Phare, he made limited edition prints of Anapyabal for Cambodia sold through our partner Tribe Gallery and another one for the international audience. 100% of profits have been donated towards Phare Visual and Applied Arts School students’ scholarship fund.
PHARE into the Future: Join our Virtual Gala and Circus World Record on March 6 & 7!
Do you want to be a Guinness World Record Breaker?
And help Cambodia’s leading arts and education NGO Phare survive the pandemic?
Then please join us on March 7th for our thrilling virtual gala and record-breaking Longest Circus Peformance Ever!
« Voice of older people » is making its way across Western Cambodia
Along with our main programs targeting the youth, we continue to develop greater community outreach projects with « Voice of older people », which aims to use the arts as an innovative tool to raise awareness in the community about the condition and challenges of the elderly women, and notably the disabled.
Save the date! On 20-21 November will be the online screening and fundraiser of « Cirque du Cambodia »
Cirque du Cambodia is a documentary film showcasing the success story of Phare alumni Dina and Sopha. Starting on UN World Children’s Day, a special online benefit screening will be organized to raise money for our school and inspire people to help changing other Cambodian children’s lives through the arts!
What worries us, what keeps us strong? Listen to Phare Voices #2
These are strange times we are living in. Behind the scenes of Phare are slices of life stories, with their ups and downs, but mostly carrying with them the hope of brighter days to come. Listen to Phare voices, round #2!
Ensuring the youngest’s development while Phare kindergarten is closed
After all Cambodian schools closed in March, Phare’s Education Department responded by developing outreach programs in the surrounding communes to provide our kindergarten children with face to face, socially distanced classes. Meet our teacher Hanny, who has been very actively engaged in teaching her students in the communities.
Realising our first circus “summer camp” with the Metta Karuna’s kids
Phare had the pleasure to co-organize a day of circus workshops to entertain and bring joy to the children of the « Metta Karuna » Center, a like-minded organization of Battambang Province which provides education and care to young people coming from dire family circumstances including severe poverty and abandonment.
Keeping our visual art students’ vocations alive thanks to the contribution of FinDac and Tribe Gallery
Those who have visited our campus after fall 2019 must remember the iconic «Anapyabal» mural on our circus building, painted by the world-famous Irish urban artist FinDac. After his visit to Cambodia and Phare, he made limited edition prints of Anapyabal for Cambodia sold through our partner Tribe Gallery and another one for the international audience. 100% of profits have been donated towards Phare Visual and Applied Arts School students’ scholarship fund.
PHARE into the Future: Join our Virtual Gala and Circus World Record on March 6 & 7!
Do you want to be a Guinness World Record Breaker?
And help Cambodia’s leading arts and education NGO Phare survive the pandemic?
Then please join us on March 7th for our thrilling virtual gala and record-breaking Longest Circus Peformance Ever!
« Voice of older people » is making its way across Western Cambodia
Along with our main programs targeting the youth, we continue to develop greater community outreach projects with « Voice of older people », which aims to use the arts as an innovative tool to raise awareness in the community about the condition and challenges of the elderly women, and notably the disabled.
Save the date! On 20-21 November will be the online screening and fundraiser of « Cirque du Cambodia »
Cirque du Cambodia is a documentary film showcasing the success story of Phare alumni Dina and Sopha. Starting on UN World Children’s Day, a special online benefit screening will be organized to raise money for our school and inspire people to help changing other Cambodian children’s lives through the arts!
What worries us, what keeps us strong? Listen to Phare Voices #2
These are strange times we are living in. Behind the scenes of Phare are slices of life stories, with their ups and downs, but mostly carrying with them the hope of brighter days to come. Listen to Phare voices, round #2!
Ensuring the youngest’s development while Phare kindergarten is closed
After all Cambodian schools closed in March, Phare’s Education Department responded by developing outreach programs in the surrounding communes to provide our kindergarten children with face to face, socially distanced classes. Meet our teacher Hanny, who has been very actively engaged in teaching her students in the communities.
Realising our first circus “summer camp” with the Metta Karuna’s kids
Phare had the pleasure to co-organize a day of circus workshops to entertain and bring joy to the children of the « Metta Karuna » Center, a like-minded organization of Battambang Province which provides education and care to young people coming from dire family circumstances including severe poverty and abandonment.
*For US tax payers, donations through Give2Asia are tax-exempt according to the guidelines set out on Give2Asia’s website.
