Cambodia is a small country in south-east Asia bordered in the west by Thailand. It is a country of incredible beauty with famous breathtaking temples, and home to Angkor Wat - one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Cambodia has suffered from a turbulent past which saw the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, in power in the late 1970’s, claim the lives of up to 2 million people. Economically the country is growing quickly, however an estimated third of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

Ratanakiri province is in the far northeast of Cambodia. Approximately 50% of the population are under 19 years old. All ICS volunteers in Ratanakiri will be living in Yeak Loam community, which is formed of 6 villages and is home to Tampoun people. The Tampoun are an indigenous ethnic group. They are animists and believe that spirits inhabit all things. Spirits, and especially evil spirits, must be appeased through animal sacrifices. 

The ICS project in Ratanakiri has been running since October 2013 and has hosted 5 teams of ICS volunteers to date. In total 6 ICS teams are expected to work in the community, with the project ending August 2015, therefore I will be part of the last team!