The Story That Started It All

The afternoon, Caring for Cambodia was born.

 In 2003, Jamie was visiting the ancient temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia when a little girl approached her asking for a dollar to pay for school. Jamie visited the child's school that afternoon. What she found was 75 children sitting in a dilapidated, dirt-floor building, waiting for a teacher who never came. It was the kind of thing that either breaks your heart or moves your hands. For Jamie, it moved her hands. That afternoon, Caring for Cambodia was born. What began as a mission to restore one crumbling school has grown into one of Cambodia's most recognized education nonprofits. CFC now operates 36 model schools serving more than 11,088 students a year, from pre-K through 12th grade, plus an Education and Development Center in the heart of Siem Reap. Every student receives trained teachers, two meals a day, and a real chance at a better future.

Jamie Amelio has spent more than two decades proving that one person who stays bothered can change the course of an entire generation.

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  • 22+ years of impact

  • 36 model schools, pre-K through 12th grade

  • 11,088+ students served every year

  • 1 Education and Development Center in Siem Reap

  • Tens of thousands of lives changed since 2003