A group of people, including adults and children, smile and pose together for a photo inside a decorated room—with a cross and garland behind them—showcasing the spirit of Helping Hand Cambodia as some flash peace signs with their hands.

Helping Hand Cambodia: a story from inside the community in the slums of Chbar Ampov

A person in a white shirt stands in front of a group of seated people inside a room. Above the entrance is a sign that reads Helping Hand Cambodia. Several computers line the walls in the background.

Double your Support this Month – April 2026

support the english class here →
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helping-hand-cambodia-english-class

if you donate, please mention my name (nathan rivers chesky) so i can match your contribution through the end of april.

watch the film for the full story of the community and where your help can make a full impact:

i spent a few weeks of my winter off season traveling through asia. reconnecting with old friends, finding some space after wedding season, and looking for something real to document.

through some mutual friends, I was asking for something tangible. something where the distance between seeing it and actually helping felt close.

not long after, i found myself among families living in a cemetery. a place called Chbar Ampov, a slum on the outskirts of the capital of Cambodia, phnom penn, where some of the cities trash gets deposited.

Chbar Ampov: a slum community built atop ancient tombs

A person stands outdoors in a sunlit, debris-filled area, smiling as they hold a large white sack labeled UREA. Buildings and vegetation are visible in the background.

for the people born into this community, one of the best opportunities presented to them to get at a few dollars a day, is by sorting through and finding some recyclables they can trade in.

A small, crowded outdoor kitchen with metal pots, pans, and utensils scattered around, a green plastic chair, and signs of heavy use. A person stands in the background near wooden walls and storage shelves.
A woman wearing a pink hat and colorful scarf holds a young child in her arms while standing outdoors in a rubble-strewn area, with other people and trees visible in the background.
Three young children stand and sit on a concrete path in an outdoor, rundown area with scattered debris. Two boys hold toys while a girl sits nearby. More children are visible in the background.
A group of young children outdoors, smiling and waving at the camera. They are wearing colorful clothes and appear happy, standing and kneeling on a paved street with buildings and a parked motorcycle in the background.
A young child with a serious expression stands barefoot on a concrete ground, wearing a blue shirt with cartoon prints. A black cat lies nearby, and the background features faded blue and orange walls.
A woman stands smiling indoors between a boy near a motorbike and a girl holding her hand to her mouth. Shoes are scattered on the floor, and various household items are visible in the background.

homes built between above ground tombs. children playing, gathering, moving through spaces that, at first glance, don’t make sense as a place to grow up.

and then after a few hours, it does.

life happening the same way it does anywhere else. cooking, washing, laughing, resting. just within a completely different set of constraints.

A smiling child in a light pink shirt stands on a red seat, holding a metal pole and waving with one hand. Another child in a striped outfit is sitting in the background, slightly out of focus.

as we walked through the reset of the slum, i kept my camera up. focused on the work. observing, framing, moving through moments. the wild duality of a place that is filled with so much tradgity yet the warmest of welcomes and sense of community, is a complex feeling that lingers with me, especially during quite moments in my three story home, i occupy alone, in the middle of the woods of Western North Carolina.

where education fits into this

just down the dusty road from this community is access to a completely different path.

schools. structure. opportunity.

but getting there is only part of it.

staying there, keeping up, having the support to continue… that’s where things get difficult.

A smiling man stands in a doorway as a group of children excitedly greet him with raised hands inside a room lined with bookshelves.

the work being done by Helping Hand Cambodia sits right in that gap.

supporting students not just with access to education, but with the consistency and resources needed to actually succeed once they’re in it.

one of the most immediate needs right now is continuing to fund their english teacher, chhan panha.

his classes are more than just language: they’re structure. confidence. repetition. a way for students to stay connected to what they’re learning and build toward something that, in another context, might feel out of reach.

i spent time in that classroom. you can feel the difference.

A smiling girl wearing glasses sits at a desk in a classroom with bookshelves in the background. Other students are seated behind her, and the atmosphere appears friendly and focused.
A classroom with several students sitting at desks, writing in notebooks. Some students are focused on their work, while one person stands near a computer in the back. Colorful decorations hang from the ceiling. Sunlight shines through a window.
Two girls sit at a classroom desk, writing in notebooks and looking at the camera, while other students work on computers in the background. The classroom is well-lit and organized.

i understand the world is full of big and complex issues right now. this isn’t one of those abstract problems that feels too big to understand.

it’s specific. it’s tangible.

a classroom. a teacher. a group of students.

and a very real situation where relatively small amounts of support can make a measurable difference.

in a world where so many things feel out of reach, this is one of the few i’ve seen where the impact is direct.

meas theara – a Helping Hand Cambodia Success story

A young man wearing a striped long-sleeve shirt stands indoors in front of a wall made of wooden planks, with sunlight streaming through gaps in the wood. He smiles softly and holds his hands together.

i went there to document, but very quickly i was being invited into homes, into conversations, into daily routines in a way i wouldn’t have experienced under normal circumstances.

as a photographer, that kind of access is rare. and it’s something i don’t take lightly. talking with Meas Theara about his life before he was sponsored by Helping Hand Cambodia, and his tattoo on his arm as a result of that to prove his Brotherhood. with English classes and access to better education, more opportunities arose for Meas, and he now has his bachelors degree and plans to open his own business to support his family.

Leaving the Slum and heading back into the capital of Cambodia

as the sun started to set, i was told it wasn’t safe for me to stay much longer. i departed in the back of my tuk tuk, hugging close my camera bag, replaying everything i had just seen. without the camera between me and what was actually happening, everything I had witnessed began to spin through my head. the ride back to my main street hotel was emotional. life there was rough yet rich in connection. the tightness of which I held my camera bag, wasn’t for safety of my equipment, but it was a necessary personal comfort.

there is so much willingness and determination in the eyes of these children. given the opportunity. that is why i will personally match all contributions this month, April 2026, so that we can fund this class before the end of chhan panha’s current contract would have to end in May.

A man and two girls ride together on a blue scooter through a busy street, with motion blur in the background suggesting speed. The girls sit behind the rider, one holding on and the other looking at the camera.

support is needed now ( all donations matched in April )

if you feel something from this, you can support the english class here:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helping-hand-cambodia-english-class

even small donations go a long way in a setup like this.

if you donate, please mention my name ( nathan rivers chesky ) so i can match your contribution through the end of april.

A group of people, including adults and children, smile and pose together for a photo inside a decorated room—with a cross and garland behind them—showcasing the spirit of Helping Hand Cambodia as some flash peace signs with their hands.

it took me some time to process all of this.

but the photos are finished. the video is done.

and this is my way of sharing it. thank you for coming along for the story this far. and please consider donating. even the smallest amount could make all the difference.

Double your donation April 2026.

thank you,

nathan rivers chesky

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