The holidays are a time of celebration for many families around the world.
For our students in rural Kep, Cambodia, they are also the months when it becomes hardest to keep our small school open.
Sala Monkey Language & Arts School is a locally registered, nonprofit primary school serving Pre-K through Grade 5. For over a decade we’ve been giving children from low-income families access to quality education, arts, and opportunity they would never otherwise receive.
We don’t have big sponsors or government funding. We run almost entirely on the kindness of individual donors. When donations slow down in October, November, and early December, we begin to wonder if we can make it to the new year.
This holiday season, we are asking for your help to sustain the last three months of our school year.
What We Provide Every Single Week
At Sala Monkey, children don’t just “go to school.” They step into a world that is bigger than their village, and begin to believe that they belong in it.
Your support keeps all of this alive:
English language & literacy – Daily ESL classes using Jolly Phonics and strong reading foundations so our students can access future study and jobs beyond the village.
Math & Science – Hands-on, inquiry-based learning that builds problem-solving skills and confidence.
Computers & AI-integrated learning – For many of our students, our classroom is the only place they touch an iPad or a computer. We introduce digital literacy and responsible use of new tools so they aren’t left behind.
Khmer Apsara & cultural dance – Preserving Cambodia’s rich heritage while building discipline, grace, and self-esteem.
Ballet & performing arts – A unique rural ballet program taught by international volunteer teachers that gives village girls the chance to experience classical dance normally reserved for big cities.
Visual arts & music – Drawing, painting, crafts, and music classes that help children express themselves, manage emotions, and discover hidden talents.
Scholarships to formal Khmer school – We support long-term students with scholarships and daily transport so they can attend a higher-level academic program in town while still returning to Sala Monkey for arts and English.
Safe, loving community – A small, family-like school where children who face poverty, instability, and pressure at home find consistency, encouragement, and people who believe in them.
All of this happens in one little school in the countryside.
Why the Last Three Months Are So Hard
The final three months of the year are the most fragile time for us.
Many people wait until the very end of December to make holiday donations.
Our day-to-day bills don’t wait: teacher salaries, rent, electricity, fuel for transportation, classroom materials, dance props, books, and basic maintenance are due every single month.
By October and November, our funding is usually stretched thin. We are often down to our last few dollars, still trying to keep every child in class, with the lights on and teachers paid.
This is the period when we are most at risk of having to cut programs, turn students away, or send children home early because we simply cannot cover the basics.
Where Your Donation Goes
Your gift this holiday season directly supports the final stretch of our school year:
$10–$25 helps buy art supplies, notebooks, and basic classroom materials.
$30–$50 helps cover a week of transportation for scholarship students to attend school in town.
$75–$100 helps pay a teacher’s salary so we can keep classes running.
$150–$300 helps cover a significant part of a month’s operating costs (electricity, fuel, rent, maintenance).
Every single contribution, no matter the size, helps us keep our doors open and our programs running.
How You Can Help Right Now
Make a one-time donation to help us bridge these last three months of school.
If you’re able, set up a small monthly gift to give us stability beyond the holiday season.
Share our page with a friend, a teacher, or someone who loves Cambodia, the arts, or education.
You may never meet our students in person, but your kindness is written into their stories: a child who learns to read in English, a girl who discovers her confidence through dance, a shy student who finds their voice in music and art.
From our little school in rural Kep to wherever you are in the world:
Thank you for helping us finish this school year strong.
You are the reason we can keep showing up for our kids, even when the budget says we shouldn’t be able to.