 | Happy Year of the Golden Pig!
Last month we celebrated Chinese New Year here in Cambodia, visiting temples, feasting on rice cakes and enjoying various dragon dances in Phnom Penh. This auspicious year is supposed to bring financial success, and this month has proven to bring just that for PEPY! We have had generous support from many of you at the start of this new year, with special thanks to members of the Notre Dame University community for their huge support this month.
 Speaking
of the new year, we know it's a bit late, but
BUY
YOUR PEPY 2007 CALENDARS! Even
if you have another calendar, you need a PEPY
one! It is full of pictures from last
year's December, March, and May trips and includes
many pictures of the school and students.
They are only $10 plus shipping, so BUY ONE
TODAY! Email us to make the order!
We are also excited to announce that one of our long time supporters has made a challenge grant for the development of PEPY Tours. Thank you Peter! This funding will purchase mountain bikes to be rolled out with PEPY's fall tours and he has committed up to $5000 if we can find someone to match this amount! Having our own fleet of bikes, parts, and a trained repair team will in turn increase our fundraising abilities and our impact here in Cambodia. If you would like to match part, or all, of this grant and expand the potential of our programs, drop us an email at volunteer@pepyride.org.
In this month's edition check out the Notre Dame Volunteer Trip, our first visit to the new PEPY Friends' School, our plans for an expanded library program, many events coming up, and much more!
The
PEPY Newsletter will be back in April with lots
to tell! We will fill you in on the three
trips coming up in the next few weeks, The PEPY
Friends' School opening
ceremony, and more
information on our library p rogram!
Thank you for your
continued support for PEPY!
The PEPY Team
PS - PEPY is now officially an International NGO! We had our MOU signing with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs! Yeah PEPY!
Notre Dame takes on Cambodia!
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| Last week PEPY had its first ever college tour! Nine bright young Notre Dame students visited Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and the PEPY Ride School during a week filled with plenty of laughs, learning and excitement! Tim Rann, team leader, director of PEPYND, and future intern shares his experiences here.
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| PEPY Friends School: International Letter Exchange | |
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The children of the PEPY Ride School's English education program are now taking part in an international letter exchange! These lucky 6th grade students communicate in English to other 6th grade students in Tokyo. The students on both ends have been enjoying this new program immensely! Ange Gervan, the wonderful woman who started this program, shares her thoughts here.
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| Featured Sponsor: Anthony Travel |
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Anthony Travel, university and sports travel experts, proudly serves organizations such as the University of Notre Dame, University of North Carolina, Stanford University, the Harlem Globetrotters, the New York Marathon, numerous youth sports programs and the IronmanŽ Triathlon.
Whether you are trying to get to the game or to Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Anthony Travel can assist you in reaching your destination, even Cambodia.
Special thanks to the Anthony family for their personal support for PEPY'S programs. We are honored to have Anthony Travel on the PEPY sponsorship team! To learn more about Anthony Travel or to make reservations to see the Irish, please visit AnthonyTravel.com.
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| | PEPY Friends School Ready to Educate!
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Earlier this month, some of the PEPY crew headed up to Steung Treng, Cambodia to visit the new PEPY Friends' School. After an exciting and inspiring journey we met the principal, toured the school and planned the opening ceremony trip coming soon!
| Check out some pictures and read the full story!
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| Protect the Earth.
Protect Yourself.
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PEPY and Capacity Building
It is often stated that the purpose of a responsible international Non Governmental Organization (NGO) is not to help the citizens of a country or region but rather to help these citizens help themselves. Many believe the best way to support sustainable development is to fund investments in people and building their capacity.
How does an NGO like PEPY go about this? By hiring local staff! PEPY has recently hired Cambodian national Va Vuthy to be our new Literacy Program Manager and Srey Tou, a member of the Chanleas Dai community, to be the PEPY Ride School librarian and literacy teacher. We hope the training Srey Tou is attending this month will also be passed on to all of the teachers at our school to build their capacity. We are also looking to hire a part-time accountant and an educational program assistant, both of whom will be Cambodian.
Through training in educational development, literacy education, and further training, we hope these new staff members will make PEPY more sustainable and responsible. We also hope PEPY's investments in people will add to a more aware, involved and empowered team concerned about improving the future of Cambodia and powered with the resources to do so.
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