Letter from the CEO

The Savong Foundation Cambodia – CEO Letter for 2025

Dear Friends and Supporters,

In a lot of ways, it’s difficult to believe.  This year, we will celebrate 15 years of The Savong Foundation Cambodia.  We’ve gone through some turbulent times, but I can honestly say this past year was wonderful and …  uneventful.

And in the nonprofit world, that’s exactly what we hope for.

Our students are doing what they should be doing: studying hard, staying focused, and moving steadily toward professional careers. We are currently supporting 22 students, most of whom are now in university-level programs, pursuing majors that include pharmacy, medicine, veterinary medicine, global affairs, marketing, midwifery, architecture, interior design, and finance. They continue to impress me—not only with their academic progress, but with their maturity, gratitude, and determination.  We know them like family, and we give them whatever they need for success, including living expenses, school supplies, computers and of course, tuition. 

As usual, I traveled back to Cambodia this past October to meet with our students, purchase school supplies, and pay school fees. After 15 years, my manager Rathana and I have this trip down to a science. We follow a well-established routine, work efficiently, and still manage to have some fun along the way.  I never get tired of seeing the gorgeous Khmer temples which was the main reason I travelled to Cambodia back in 2008.  I think Rathana is equally happy when he gets a steak meal and a fruity drink. 

One of the most meaningful parts of the trip is meeting individually with each student. These conversations allow me to encourage them, motivate them, and remind them just how far they’ve already come. I try to visit their individual schools and during this trip, I was able to tour the Royal University of Agriculture, where our student Bunsaem is studying veterinary medicine.  As a veterinarian myself, I was interested in seeing what was available for him.  Hopefully, I’ll be back next year and would love to give a lecture about my animal experiences in the USA. 

Rathana and I also met with Rin Kakvey, who runs a free music school in the Banteay Meanchey province, another program we are proud to support. This school is called Samut.  His work is inspiring, and his full interview is included later in this report.  If you would love to support the teaching of traditional Cambodian music, singing and dance, then we can earmark donations specifically for this purpose.  Having seen the school, the students and Kakvey, I can guarantee that your money would be put to good use. 

We also had time to visit one of our former scholarship students, Cheat, in Phnom Penh. Cheat is now the proud owner of a fantastic new store selling high-end kitchen goods. He graduated from the University of Cambodia with a degree in Marketing and has been a true success story ever since we first began supporting him in high school. His journey is a powerful reminder that with opportunity, hard work, and determination, anything is possible—and his path will undoubtedly inspire those who follow.   This year, we were very pleased to have invited him to be a board member, and he is our first former student to have achieved this accomplishment. 

And without hesitation, I agreed to yet another traditional Buddhist water blessing from a monk at our new NGO office in Siem Reap. At this point, I’ve received so many blessings over the years that I feel fairly confident I’m well protected—not just in this life, but probably the next one too. 

Overall, the trip was extremely successful and I’m very happy how everything is going. As a small but very welcome bonus, even the flights to and from Cambodia were on time—something any traveler will appreciate.  Thank you United Airlines! 

None of this work would be possible without you. I am deeply thankful to everyone who has been part of this journey over the past 15 years. In a world that can often feel divided and uncertain, choosing to help others—no matter where they live—is more important than ever.

As we look ahead, I invite you to continue this journey with us. Your generous donations directly support our students and make these life-changing opportunities possible. If you would like to learn more about our work or discuss ways to contribute, please feel free to contact me anytime at phil@savongfoundation.org.  We work on a shoe-string budget, we make every dollar count, none of our board members take a salary and we are fully financially transparent.  I’m always open to talking about Cambodia and The Savong Foundation Cambodia! 

Thank you for helping us reach an incredible 15-year milestone.

With sincere appreciation,

Dr. Phil Caldwell
CEO
The Savong Foundation Cambodia

P.S. If you’ve ever wondered whether your support truly makes a difference, I can say without hesitation that it does. Every donation—large or small—directly impacts a student’s ability to stay in school and move toward a meaningful career. Your continued generosity helps turn potential into reality, and for that, I am profoundly grateful.