The History Of Khmer Hands

It all started with a patch of land in 2012, a few bags of cement, a whole lot of hope, and the idea that maybe, just maybe, we could build something beautiful together.

Khmer Hands has grown slowly and intentionally. First came a simple staff building. Then the school. A few hand-built bungalows. Then a few more. In 2015 we opened the restaurant, and by 2017 we had launched Arts Café just down the hill right on the Gulf of Thailand. Most recently, in true Khmer Hands fashion, the Mangrove Café was born from a shipping container craned into place on Easter morning because, well, that’s the only day the crane was available. It’s Cambodia. We make it work.

But Khmer Hands was never just about buildings. It was always about people.

Kris Warner and Naome Pich, along with their three kids and an ever-growing extended family of staff and students, have poured their lives into this place. Over the years, it has become home to a beautiful and diverse community of learners, leaders, dreamers, and doers. From that very first English lesson in 2013 with a group of construction workers, to the sewing classes Naome began a year later, to the more recent program we are working on right now: Village First Aid training rolling out with Majesty International and SOLO, the heartbeat of Khmer Hands has remained the same which is to create a safe space, give dignity, and equip others to thrive.

Sometimes that looks like teaching English under the house because the daycare took over the classroom. Sometimes it’s bunk beds and new bathrooms for the growing live-in team. Sometimes it’s crayfish farming to keep programs afloat when tourism dries up. And always, it’s about walking with our Cambodian friends and family, shoulder to shoulder, in faith and love.

What We Do

Khmer Hands is a social enterprise committed to empowering the next generation of Cambodians through real-life education and training. Your support goes directly to charitable programs that provide free or low-cost education in four key areas:

1. English Education
What started with Kris scribbling ABCs on a whiteboard for our construction crew has grown into full courses in both Hospitality English and Everyday English. Students learn practical vocabulary, conversation skills, and confidence that opens doors in the tourism industry and beyond. Kris also teaches online with students at Chenla University and helps shape national curriculum for English learners across the country.

2. Hospitality Training
Every team member at Khmer Hands from the kitchen to the café receives hands-on training in hospitality, customer service, and leadership (and soon village first aid). It’s not just about learning to serve. It’s about learning to lead. We create real job experience for youth who would otherwise be stuck in unsafe or unstable work.

3. Sewing and Vocational Skills
Naome’s sewing program began with one machine and a few hopeful hearts. Today, students learn everything from basic stitches to design and product creation. We also help them sell what they make. For many, it’s the first time they’ve had the tools to earn income with dignity.

4. Medical Training
In partnership with many of the locals schools, churches, and NGO's, Majesty International, and SOLO International, Khmer Hands will now be part of the team to bring Village First Aid, a robust program that teaches everyday Cambodians how to respond in medical emergencies. Snake bites, broken bones, choking, bleeding, drowning, you name it. These are lessons we know will save lives. And this isn't the first time as Naome and her work with the Chenla University medical team have also supported large-scale health clinics, local police training, and university-level instruction across the country.

Where Your Gift Goes

Between now and the end of 2025, we are prayerfully working toward raising $60,000 to grow the heart of Khmer Hands, things like education, training, and long-term opportunity for Cambodia’s next generation.

This isn’t just about sustaining what we’ve built. It’s about growing it with purpose.

Your generosity will help us:

Expand Our English and Hospitality Education
We’re aiming to increase class time, add new teaching staff, and reach more students than ever before. English and hospitality remain two of the most direct paths to employment in our region, and we want to open those doors wider. Whether it’s helping a young person greet a guest, write a job application, or guide a tour, your support builds the skills that change lives.

Strengthen Vocational Programs Like Sewing and Trades
With your help, we’ll equip more students with real tools and real training. That may include more sewing machines, supplies, and or even training instructors who teach not just the craft, but also the confidence to create and sell their work. These programs are especially important for young women, who often face limited opportunities elsewhere and may now be able to open their own business.

Support Daily Learning and Long-Term Development
We’ll be able to provide educational resources, updated curriculum, student meals, and tutoring for those living on-site and new staff coming in each day. We also want to pour into the people who pour into our students, our teachers and mentors, by giving them the support and structure they need to grow too.

Build Toward Sustainability
Long-term sustainability has always been our goal, but recent global changes have made it more challenging. That said, every investment we make through this fund moves us toward this goal. We’re developing systems that allow students to work, learn, and contribute back into the programs that helped them thrive. This cycle of learning, working, and giving back is already happening and your support helps it take root even deeper.

This goal isn’t about numbers on a ledger. It’s about real names, real faces, real stories.

It’s about an Eli leading Sunday School, a Rom building his first table, or a Seab teaching her first budding tailors, and the wide-eyed student who just learned to say “Hello, how can I help you?” without going red from shyness.

Thank you for believing in what’s possible here. We can’t wait to show you what’s ahead.

All Gifts are Charitable

Donations made through this page are used solely for charitable programs as defined by the U.S. government. Funds are administered through Majesty International and go directly to support educational initiatives in English, hospitality, sewing, and medical training. Every gift helps educate and equip the next generation; one lesson, one life, one leap of faith at a time. All donations are non-refundable.

Khmer Hands

Empowering Cambodia’s next generation through education, training, and hands-on opportunity.