A mission of sincerity in Phnom Penh
On January 25, 2026, the grounds of Wat Chato Phatra Mungkul in the Dangkor District of Phnom Penh became a hub of humanitarian activity. The Tzu Chi Foundation organized a Year-End Blessing and relief distribution to support 465 households from the "Golden Mountain" community and 245 municipal park cleaners.
The "Golden Mountain" is a poignant misnomer; it is a massive landfill where residents spend their days scavenging for recyclables to trade for food. For many of these families, and for the city’s hardworking park cleaners, the arrival of Tzu Chi volunteers represented more than just food—it was a gesture of respect and visibility.
To support this mission, 178 volunteers mobilized, including a special delegation from the Tzu Chi International Youth Association (TIYA). Thirteen young professionals and students from Taiwan traveled to Cambodia to serve not only as relief workers but as "study partners" for local youth.
LEFT: Each 20-kg rice bag is printed with Jing Si Aphorisms in Khmer and Chinese. | Photo: Cathy Chang (張淑宜). RIGHT: Residents line up in the plaza to receive life-sustaining supplies delivered by large trucks. | Photo: Yu-Cheng Lin
From physical relief to spiritual blessing
The distribution was heavy, physical work. Each household received 40 kilograms of rice, along with eco-friendly bags, blankets, cooking oil, and noodles. The TIYA volunteers, many of whom are engineers and professionals in Taiwan, worked under the hot sun to roll blankets and hoist heavy rice sacks onto the motorcycles of the recipients.
Among them was Chuan-ming Yang (楊荃名), a tech company engineer, who felt the weight of the mission—both literally and figuratively.
Carrying two 20-kilogram bags of rice on my shoulders while trying to maintain balance was a shock. It was very heavy, but seeing it delivered to the families made it meaningful.
— Chuan-ming Yang, TIYA Volunteer
The spirit of local contribution was also evident. Riya, a local volunteer who runs a bakery, worked through the night to bake 707 loaves of bread for the community. Her husband, Victor, a Spanish national, joined her in the effort, carrying rice sacks alongside the Taiwanese youth.
LEFT: Volunteer Chuan-ming Yang carries 40 kilograms of rice for a resident. RIGHT: Local baker Riya and her husband Victor provide 707 loaves of fresh bread. | Photos: Cathy Chang
Bridging futures through language and culture
The physical aid at the landfill was only one half of the youth’s mission. To provide long-term empowerment, TIYA launched the "Cambodia Chinese Language International Study Companion Program." This initiative, supported by the Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC), pairs Taiwanese youth with Cambodian students for language learning and cultural exchange.
On February 1, the TIYA team visited the UYFC headquarters to recruit for the program's second phase. While the core curriculum is taught online by Tzu Chi University teachers, the TIYA partners provide live, interactive sessions twice a week to build conversational skills and confidence.
LEFT: Volunteers perform "The First Ray of Light" to launch the study partner program. |Photo: Yu-Cheng Lin. RIGHT: A volunteer from Singapore helps a student practice New Year blessings in Mandarin. | Photo: Cathy Chang
"I will grow with you, provide a shoulder to lean on," the youth sang during their performance of "The First Ray of Light," a song that mirrored their commitment to the local students.
Cultivating long-term hope
The recruitment event used the upcoming Lunar New Year to make learning fun. In the "Language Exploration" zone, Cambodian youth practiced writing Mandarin characters, while the "New Year Red Envelope" station challenged them to speak traditional blessings like "May everything go as you wish" (wan shi ru yi).
LEFT: Volunteers assist students in the Mandarin writing challenge. RIGHT: Recycled bottles filled with donations are placed around a symbolic lotus pond to represent the goodness of the community. | Photos: Cathy Chang
The program also emphasized environmental stewardship. At the "Sustainability" station, students practiced Mandarin phrases about energy conservation and vegetarianism. Chuan-ming Yang, returning from his labor at the landfill, showed the students how recycled plastic bottles—like the ones scavenged at the "Golden Mountain"—could be transformed into eco-friendly pens and blankets.
As the distribution ended and the language recruitment drew to a close, the impact was clear. The bags of rice provided immediate security for the families at the landfill, while the language program offered a path toward better employment and international connections. Whether carrying rice or teaching a new language, the youth volunteers proved that sincerity is a language that needs no translation.
Written by Cathy Chang (張淑宜)
