I attended the Trivia night fundraiser last year and as soon as I heard about what BabyTree Projects do, I knew I wanted to get involved. I travelled to Cambodia in December 2010 and instantly fell in love with the country and the beautiful people there. For people with so little, they show so much joy and happiness, and I knew that I would come back one day to help out in a small way. And that's just what I was able to do. I was involved in the most recent project in Sambour village, spending 7 weeks living on beautiful pagoda grounds in rural Cambodia with a group of monks and the other volunteers. We had no access to running water or electricity, but I didn't miss them at all as we made do with bucket showers at the well and entertainment from the children and each other. Living in the village where we were building the school was incredible as we could see the people who would benefit directly from the work we were doing. In their breaks, the children would come to the work-site and watch us in fascination. It was very entertaining for them to watch this group of barang (foreigners) hoeing or moving cement or whatever the job for the day was, but you could always see the appreciation on the children's faces. They recognised that we were working hard so they would have somewhere to learn; something kids in Australia and other countries take for granted. On top of the construction, the volunteers conducted regular workshops with the students. For me, this was the most challenging but rewarding part. With very little Khmer or teaching experience, we taught conversational English, as well as photography and sports workshops. I realised that you really don't need to speak the same language to be able to communicate, and both the volunteers and the students had a lot of fun doing the workshops. BabyTree Projects are doing an amazing thing, helping to provide an education for children in rural Cambodia, and I was so lucky and grateful to be able to get involved in such a unique experience.

BabyTree Projects is such an amazing charity for many reasons. Not only are they a not-for-profit organization they have the most amazing team of volunteers that make this charity so special. Founded by Koky Saly he gives all he can towards raising money for the kids of Cambodia. Between work, uni and a social life he still manages to run the charity. Four schools under his belt is quite the achievement. Behind him is an amazing bunch of volunteers, who, like Koky give up their own time to make BabyTree Projects what it is. I am very proud and honoured to be part of such a worthy cause.

BabyTree Projects is an amazing organisation. I first got caught up in it because I happened to sit next to Koky in one of my first classes in my master's at RMIT, and by the end of that class I had signed up to go to Cambodia later that year to build a school in a rural village. Okay then! The rest is history. Working with the volunteers and board members of BTP is an inspiring, rewarding and, just as importantly, ENJOYABLE experience. Getting to change the world, work towards children being able to create the lives they want AND hang out with some of the funniest and best looking people you'll ever meet? That is pretty damn great.