We empower Cambodian early childhood educators with the tools for growth.
We want all teachers, leaders, and parents to freely access and share quality resources.
TukTuk has developed an open-source, self-sustaining platform for early childhood education in Cambodia. We are making a significant impact. Help us drive progress further.
TukTuk Charity is devoted to uplifting early childhood education and empowering the educators who make it possible.
Our journey began in 2015—quite literally on the road. With a tuk-tuk filled with Khmer-language children’s books and resources, we travelled to schools and village communities.
As we grew, so did our vision. Today, we’re proud to be a mid-sized organization dedicated to building a self-sustaining educational platform rooted in Cambodian culture.
We offer thoughtfully crafted learning materials, equip Khmer teachers with tools and training, and create welcoming physical and digital spaces where educators can connect, grow, and lead.
Our mission is simple but deeply impactful: to expand educational access across Cambodia.
Every step forward is made possible through the kindness and support of people like you. Be part of our journey today.
The Challenges Facing Cambodia: The Resource Gap
Cambodia’s Ministry of Education is leading a positive shift toward play-based learning, aligning with proven global approaches to early childhood education.
But many teachers never experienced this style of learning themselves, and it wasn’t part of their training.
Teachers are eager to embrace this new approach. But without the right materials and only limited training, it’s difficult to create engaging, play-based lessons—leaving a resource gap that directly affects classroom outcomes.
When early foundations are weak, later learning becomes harder. With strong support in the early years, children are far more likely to succeed.
TukTuk is here to enable this.
- As of 2021, student-to-teacher ratios in early education was stressed to 42:1, causing great strain on educators and students alike.*
- 35.2% of Khmer children miss early childhood education.**
- In 2021, 45.4% of sixth-grade students demonstrated below-basic proficiency in Khmer.
- Meanwhile, 74.3% were below basic proficiency in mathematics.***
Many community pre-schools offer a single class for students aged 3–5 and often decline younger children due to overcrowding - negatively impacting enrolment rates and reinforcing access challenges.*
* The Situation of Children and Adolescents in Cambodia, UNICEF (2023). ** Costing and financing of SDG 4.2 in Cambodia, UNESCO (2024). *** Cambodia Sustainable Development Goal 4 Mid-Term Review, UNICEF (2024).
“Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society”
— Maria Montessori
Cambodia is looking into the future
Cambodia is taking big leaps forward. People are optimistic and ready to build opportunity. The government is supporting this drive by increasing spending on education. Literacy rates, the standard of living and access to technology is rising. However, many challenges remain, particularly in early years care. Even with new infrastructure, 1 in 3 children under five remain developmentally stunted*.
Digital technologies—especially smartphones and laptops—present a major opportunity for educational growth. By 2023, 92% of Cambodian households owned at least one smartphone, though this figure drops to 89% in rural areas. UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring research shows that access to quality technology greatly improves educational outcomes, with urban areas currently reaping the most benefits from tech-enabled learning.**
* Source: World Bank (2019). ** Technology in education: a case study on Cambodia, UNESCO (2023).
The big goal
A self sustaining educational platform for Cambodia
Reaching the big goal
Okay, so why a Self Sustaining Educational Platform For Cambodia?
Firstly, because the only way to fix a big resource problem, is to create a big shift in resource distribution.
And secondly, after years in the field, we’ve learnt local empowerment is the best route to long term growth.
Sure, throwing supplies works for a bit, but it doesn’t empower quality education for the future. TukTuk’s big goal is creating spaces, both digitally and physically, for communities to access and build educational resources while supporting one another - cutting the need for charity. Sustainable change, not quick fixes.
Of course, reaching the big goal can’t be done overnight. There have been many hurdles we’ve had to overcome, forcing us to adapt our approach.
All our initiatives are tailored from years of conversation with Khmer teachers, leaders, and parents, along with observations from the classroom.
Today, our varied projects reflect our learnings as a well-rounded organisation in order to best serve the wider community.
Our projects
TrainingWorkshops and teacher networkThe Rermork Digital Library
Our flagship project is a free online hub for early-years education in Cambodia.
It hosts thousands of Khmer-language teaching resources, children’s books, and videos—paired with step-by-step guides for teachers and parents to use or adapt them in classrooms and at home.
Example Resources Available on the Digital Library:
- TukBooks and video versions
- Worksheets
- Craft ideas and inspiration
- Educational Music
- Guidance on using Microsoft Tools
TukBooks and the Rermork Digital Library
In parallel to the Digital Library we continue to expand our collection of Khmer language children’s TukBooks (also available in English). Every single book is available digitally with print-outs and animations for free on the Rermork Digital Library.
Guidance on Digital Tools Through The Rermork Digital Library
See the example of the worksheets and activities we provide paired with instructions on digital customisation for educators.
Workshops, In-Class Support and Our Teacher Network
We run hands-on workshops for early-years Khmer teachers to help them find quality resources and build skills in lesson planning and classroom teaching. We’re also expanding to online workshops, so location and limited budgets no longer stop teachers from learning and growing.
- Support the use of computers for pre-school teachers
- Demonstrate and engage with play-based-learning activities
- Follow up from workshops with in-class one-on-one teacher support
Along with workshops, we encourage collaboration between educators. From Facebook to Telegram we have built a substantial network for teachers across school districts to connect and grow.
Sala Rean Sabey, Inspired by Play School
What is Sala Rean Sabey?
Inspired by Australia’s long-running PlaySchool program, Sala Rean Sabey is an educational video series designed especially for Cambodian children. Like the original, it speaks directly to kids using everyday objects, play, and storytelling to spark curiosity and make learning fun.
But this is more than just a show. Each episode features real teaching resources from our Digital Library—activities, books, games, and crafts—all linked by QR code so parents can download them at home. This helps children follow along, even with limited support or internet access.
Our Inspiration:
- Play School
- Sesame Street
Core Principles:
- Play based learning
- Linking to all our early childhood educational resources
- Encourage a love for learning in Khmer
And all your favourite TukBook characters will be along for the ride!
For teachers, Sala Rean Sabey is a living example of play-based learning in action. Many early-years teachers never experienced this style of learning and didn’t receive training in it.
By watching the show, they see how to use free resources from the library in their own classrooms, improving engagement and outcomes.
Parents, too, can learn by watching. Many never saw play-based education when they were young. Through Sala Rean Sabey, they begin to understand how children learn through play—and how they can take part.
Sala Rean Sabey is a vital part of our sustainability model. It introduces families and teachers to our platform, builds long-term engagement, and keeps educational content alive for future generations.
Our impact model: the 3-wheel approach
Our impact model tackles ground-level barriers. The only road to long-term growth is empowering teachers, parents, and leaders with tools and ownership.
Build, Access, Sustain
Build - Plug the Gap
Firstly, we’re filling in what’s missing. This is no small task.
Our team continues to grow the breadth of resources we offer, from worksheets and lesson plans to self-published children’s books, educational music, and videos, all 100% in Khmer and aligned with the national curriculum.
By pairing our rich library of Khmer materials with hands-on workshops and our Digital Library. The aim is to ensure communities are never held back by a simple lack of educational resources while advancing what we can offer.
Access - Talk then Supply
The second step is getting materials in the hands of Khmer communities.
Meaningful dialogue is the foundation of effective resource sharing. Every Cambodian community has its own needs, so we tailor how we deliver materials based on what educators, parents, and leaders share with us. As digital tools become more central in homes and classrooms, we see an exciting opportunity to provide relevant, high-quality resources. The more we listen, the better access we can provide.
Sustain - Empower & Support
Finally, we enable local people to own and drive their educational growth.
We open dialogue for everyone. By giving people physical and digital opportunities to speak, we empower educational ambassadors, build pride, and create sustainable change across entire communities. After all, education goes beyond the classroom.
Through hands-on workshops and our TukTuk Network, resource creation and sharing are placed directly in the hands of early educators. As we grow, we’re working toward expanding our Digital Library to enable resource uploads, making collaboration even more accessible.
What our friends say about TukTuk
“We want all our teachers using the Digital Library. When this happens our education system will be rich in learning materials, teachers will have access to so many different tools, lesson ideas and games to encourage play and thought.”
— Vann Somaly, Pursat Department of Early Childhood Education
“The bottom line is this: we want children to be enthusiastic about learning. The different methodologies used by TukTuk help create the best classroom environment possible - this makes a huge impact on children’s experience. We continue to support TukTuk because they deliver and communicate both the successes and challenges.”
— Manon Mitchell, Calgary Rotary Club, Grant Director
“Thanks to the incredible support of the TukTuk, my teachers have gained essential training in using technology, accessing creative teaching methods, and producing effective learning materials. With tools like Khmer storybooks, audio equipment, and worksheets, our classrooms are now better equipped, more organized, and far more engaging. This transformation has inspired students, strengthened their communication skills, and built a bridge of encouragement with parents.”
— Sak Soriya, Principal at Pursat Central Kindergarten
Keep TukTuk rolling
- Donate - Your money goes a long way. By donating, you’ll be supporting everything from project development to staff salaries.
- Grants - Grants help us to provide even more support to early years educators and leaders.
- Corporate Sponsorship - Support from organisations, big or small, make a world of difference.
- Partner - We’re always on the lookout for like-minded organisations to work with. Is this you?
Prefer the book? Download We Are TukTuk (PDF, 3.0 MB) · All impact reports
