The PEPY Team Journal

Join the PEPY Team

30.04.08

With three longtime PEPY superstars on the way out - interns Mandy Gatewood and Michael Woodard and Tour Manager Peppi Stunkel (that's Michael waving at you on the left!) - PEPY is waist-deep in applications and interviews in hopes of adding more great folks to the PEPY team.

In fact, we're still welcoming applications for qualified Rural English and Computer Teachers and a Sustainable Agriculture Expert, two positions that will be based in rural Chanleas Dai village, Kralanh Commune, Siem Reap province. In addition, we’re always looking for people to volunteer in Cambodia as interns or virtually, so if you've got ongoing skills we need – such as website, design, or grantwriting, check out our Employment and Volunteer Opportunities page or give us a shout at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it !

p.s. Wonder what kind of people we're looking for? Check out the PEPY Powers!

File under: PEPY News & Updates

Making PEPY Greener

21.04.08

With Earth Day coming up tomorrow, those of us in the PEPY office took some time today to think about ways in which we all might lead more "green" or environmentally-friendly lives. We brainstormed ways that we could individually AND collectively (as an office, an NGO, and a tour operator) reduce the harm we do to our environment. Ideas ranged from taking more cold showers (not a bad idea in 95 degree heat!) to adopting broader strategies to reduce waste and increase environmental awareness on our tours.

Check back in a few days to see the kinds of pledges we've come up with to make PEPY and our own lives greener!

File under: Miscellaneous

Our Meeting with the World Food Programme

18.04.08

By Maryann Bylander

If you've crossed paths with a newspaper in the past 2 weeks, you've probably seen that headlines around the world are talking about the price of rice and the rising cost of food globally. I'm not going to spend time talking about the ins and outs of why prices are going up (for more on this, stay tuned to our upcoming PEPY newsletter). Instead, I'd like to talk about the realities in Chanleas Dai, and our recent meeting with the World Food Program here in Phnom Penh.

The rising price of rice is very real, with effects that we are only beginning to see in communities across Cambodia. Over the course of the past several months, the price of rice has increased from 250 US dollars/metric ton to 650-700 US dollars/metric ton. This is a HUGE increase that is having repercussions from the wealthiest to the poorest of families. Daniela, Aline and I met with the World Food Programe this afternoon. We originally contacted them because our school in Chanleas Dai was once a part of their School Feeding Program, which we noticed had stopped there this year. Though students at some of the other schools nearby were still getting daily breakfast of rice, iodized salt, vitamin fortified oil and vegetables, our students were not. Last year it wouldn't have been such a big a problem, but this year, with drought, the school pond drying up for the first time ever, and families needing to buy rice who had always been able to provide enough for themselves in the past, it seemed the program was stopping just when people really needed it. We learned that based an assessment of the PEPY Ride School, the WFP to took them off their "most needy" list and abolished the school feeding program there. This was particularly troublesome to us. Based on rising educational indicators (building quality, attendance, teaching, retention), the students were no longer getting fed---something we think they need as much as (really, more than) an education.

We questioned our programs--- were we actually hurting these students and their families because our presence there made the WFP move? While we were increasing attendance and retention rates (and hopefully along with it, education) we were doing nothing to help feed kids -- still a HUGE problem in our communities. If WFP left because we were "doing good," weren't we actually harming the well-being of those students?

File under: Cambodia

Support PEPY in the Geotourism Challenge!

18.04.08

Hello PEPY People!

We need your help!

We are very excited to be entrants in the National Geographic Ashoka's Changemakers Geotourism Challenge: Celebrating Places, Changing Lives. This is a global competition to recognize innovators in geotourism, defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of the place being visited - its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents. Ashoka has created this competition so that it awards $5,000 to the entrant with the highest number of on-line comments and votes, but perhaps the more exciting part about this is the feedback and exposure PEPY can get from critical eyes in the responsible tourism world.

The more comments that we have on our page, the more exposure we will get through this site, and the more discussions will be spurred which will help us improve the impact of our programs here in Cambodia. If you have a few minutes, please visit our page and write a few sentences about what PEPY means to you or has done for you – or what you've seen PEPY do for Cambodia. You could tell a story, make a suggestion to PEPY, talk about sustainable tourism, or put anything you want to say about your PEPY experience out there for the world to see!

File under: PEPY News & Updates

PEPY Powers

18.04.08

Earlier this year PEPY III Rider, Human Resources expert and all-around PEPY superstar Simone Aloe guided our staff through an appraisal of PEPY's strengths, needs, and opportunities to grow. One of the products of our brainstorming was a set of PEPY Powers - or core competencies - that we seek in anyone who decides to join us in Cambodia. (Click "read more" to see what we came up with!)

Intrigued? Visit our opportunities page to learn more about joining the PEPY team!

File under: PEPY News & Updates