History
- Home
- History
Founder - Director
History of MR. SEAN SAMNANG
ASPIRE School for the children and Home Stay for volunteers and visitors. Mr. Sean Samnang is a local Cambodian who recognized the urgent need to help the many destitute and orphaned children living in his country. This situation was brought about because Cambodia’s education and health care systems were completely destroyed during the Khmer Rouge Genocide with Cambodia unable to make significant gains in rebuilding due to the subsequent 2 decades long civil war. Even now, Cambodia’s education and health care systems remain in shambles. Siem Reap itself is one of the poorest areas in Cambodia with over 75% of the poor people living in dire poverty. Sean was born in 1980 and grew up in a very poor family, working on a farm to pay his way through secondary school and English school. He also worked for seven months in a tailoring factory for ten to thirteen hours a day just to complete his education. Receiving help and encouragement from a sponsor in Thailand, he moved to Phnom Penh where he worked for a charitable organization on a voluntary basis, and there received his board and lodging. Volunteering in return for board and lodging is still common in Cambodia today, with the members of staff at ASPIRE all being local volunteers.
COSO (Cambodian Orphan Save Organisation)
While still a student, Sean Samnang was offered a role managing a new orphanage in Siem Reap, where he aimed to teach local children English and traditional Apsara dance. Though the community supported the initiative, it eventually collapsed due to insufficient funding. Still determined to help, Sean borrowed $250 using his parents’ land as collateral to officially register an organization in 2006, called Cambodian Orphan Save Organisation (COSO). Despite his efforts and dedication, COSO also had to close because of ongoing financial difficulties.
In 2012, Sean Samnang founded ASPIRE Training & Education in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia — a school and home for poor, homeless, and orphaned children. Today, ASPIRE provides care for 20 resident children and free education to 80 more.
The project began with Apsara dance and English classes, and when some children needed a place to stay, Sean turned to nearby villages for food donations. Many families, remembering his earlier work with COSO, supported him with what little they had. His dedication and the trust he built laid the foundation for ASPIRE’s growth.
Sean dreams of helping 300 more children through housing and education. Already, some graduates have been sponsored into university, making the future brighter for them and their families.
Located in Trang Village on National Road 6, the ASPIRE campus was once just bare land. Thanks to generous donors, sponsors, and Sean’s tireless efforts, it has become a place where children can live, learn, and thrive. The journey continues, and visitors are warmly invited to come and see the progress first-hand.
