Learn how the Love Does Not Hurt campaign helped reduce corporal punishment in Battambang, Cambodia

A Recap of the “Love Does Not Hurt” Mini Arts Festival

Celebrating 3 Years of the Love Does Not Hurt Campaign On Friday 14 October, we held a Mini Arts Festival on our campus called "Today’s Tomorrow," wrapping up all the lessons learned during the past three years of implementing the LDNH project. Love Does Not Hurt was...

Phare Ponleu Selpak’s record-breaking 24-hour circus celebrated four years of Cambodian arts and resilience.

From a Dream to a Guinness World Record: 4 Years of Circus History

Do you remember where you were on March 8, 2021? At Phare Ponleu Selpak, we were making history! Four years ago, our artists, staff, and supporters came together to take on a challenge unlike any other—a 24-hour, 10-minute, and 30-second non-stop circus performance....

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.

Learn how financial literacy and life skills workshops are helping Phare students succeed long-term

How Life Skills & Financial Literacy Classes Empower Phare Students

What do you imagine when you think about the sorts of classes circus artists take part in here at Phare Ponleu Selpak? Flips and trapezes? Sequins and tightropes? Not always. Recently, Phare performing arts students took part in financial literacy workshops thanks to...

Learn more about volunteer internships at Phare Ponleu Selpak in this interview with Soree Kim

Meet the Volunteers of Phare Ponleu Selpak: Soree KIM, Communications & Marketing Intern [Video]

This past academic year, Phare Ponleu Selpak received two student volunteers from the United States. They have spent around 7 months at Phare and will be leaving soon to start their first year of university. As a farewell, we asked a few questions about their...

ircus and theatre performances during old times with performing arts school students.

A Living Legacy: Sam Monny and the History of Phare Theatre

 A Creative Path Begins (1996) Every artistic journey starts somewhere. For Mr. Sam Monny, it began in 1996, when Phare Ponleu Selpak was still a young vision taking shape in Battambang. At just sixteen, Mony became one of Phare’s first general art students.  Born and...

Learn more about Juliette Deloron's experience as a volunteer at Phare Ponleu Selpak in Battambang, Cambodia.

Meet the Volunteers of Phare Ponleu Selpak: Juliette DELORON, Graphic Designer [Video]

Changing lives through the arts requires the work of extraordinary teachers, staff, and volunteers from across Cambodia and all around the world.   One volunteer we’re proud to have worked with is Juliette DELORON from Strasbourg, France. Juliette has been working...

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.

The Alchemy of the Stage: How Krod Sovannara Transformed Art into a Professional Career

At Phare Ponleu Selpak, we often say that art changes lives. But what does that actually look like in practice? For Krod Sovannara, it looks like a journey that began with a first-grade dream and became a seat in a corporate boardroom.  Recently, Sovannara vividly...

Learn about the 10 most popular blog posts of 2023 published on the Phare Ponleu Selpak blog

The Top 10 Phare Ponleu Selpak Blog Posts of 2023

It’s that time of year when everything from music to movies is arranged in a list and counted down. At Phare Ponleu Selpak, we’re doing the same. The past year has been quite busy at Phare Ponleu Selpak with art festivals, volunteers, star alumni, and more all making...

Catch up on everything that's happening at Phare Ponleu Selpak we work to change lives through the arts in Battambang, Cambodia.

Battambang – the land of rising arts

Battambang – the land of rising arts

Photo credit: Facebook page: Visit Battambang When people think of Cambodia, Siem Reap’s majestic Angkor Wat or the bustling capital of Phnom Penh usually come to mind. But did you know that every province across Cambodia holds its own rich tapestry of culture,...

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Teaching art at Phare: a foreigner’s perspective

Teaching art at Phare: a foreigner’s perspective

My name is Arrow Hargis, I’m an 18-year-old Princeton University student. I have the privilege to volunteer at Phare Ponlue Selapack and teach art to kids. I teach with Lokru Lao, one of the founders of Phare and a former student of the French humanitarian Véronique...

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ircus and theatre performances during old times with performing arts school students.

A Living Legacy: Sam Monny and the History of Phare Theatre

 A Creative Path Begins (1996) Every artistic journey starts somewhere. For Mr. Sam Monny, it began in 1996, when Phare Ponleu Selpak was still a young vision taking shape in Battambang. At just sixteen, Mony became one of Phare’s first general art students.  Born and...

read more...
Canvas of Pride: Colourful Stories at Phare Ponleu Selpak

Canvas of Pride: Colourful Stories at Phare Ponleu Selpak

Every June, countries around the world come together to celebrate Pride Month, a time to recognize the resilience and rights of LGBT+ communities. In Cambodia, Pride Month is not widely recognized, and for many LGBT+ youth, acceptance for who they are remains elusive....

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From Visitor to Volunteer: Gabriel’s Story at Phare

From Visitor to Volunteer: Gabriel’s Story at Phare

What makes a place so special that it keeps calling you back? For Gabriel Monson, a 72-year-old traveler from Australia, Phare Ponleu Selpak became more than just a stop on her journey. It is a community that feels like home. What began as a simple visit turned into...

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