Many say “study to develop the country”.

Rin Po, the founder of the Farmer’s Life Improvement and Future Light Youth Organization (FLIFLY), has been working to develop Cambodia since he graduated in 2005.

FLIFLY helps the community reduce unemployment, poverty and improve farmers’ lives for a better future.  

For a commune to be eligible for FLIFLY’s aid, it must have 100 members. The farmer can ask for a loan with low interest rate.

To encourage and oversee sustainable development, FLIFLY has activated some main projects such as credit unions, vocational training for youth who quit school, part-time English classes and more.

Last Friday, Rin Po delivered a training course to rural farmers on beekeeping. He spent two days training the villagers on how to keep bees.

“First they learn the theory and then we put it into practise,” he said.

“Bees are a good potential source for [rural] communities.”

Currently, Rin Po is trying to create more courses and activities for local farmers.

“We focus on basic needs,” he said.

“For example, if a community’s potential is beekeeping, we’ll teach them how to produce bees. If their soil is rich, we’ll teach them how to grow vegetables easily.”

So far, FLIFLY has accommodated both national and international student teams. Recently, students from Institute of Technology of Cambodia and Massachusetts Institute of Technology  built composting bins for rural families.

Rin Po mentioned that he strives to look for specialists, students and successful farmers to help his NGO. As of late, an MIT student developed bio-gas equipment for some families to help them utilise gas effectively.

To explore new methods from other farmers, Rin Po has been to Bangladesh, Thailand, Philippines and India.

In the near future, he is going to South Korea, the United States and Brazil in order to gain more worldwide experience in the agricultural sciences.

Rin Po encouraged young Cambodians to join the team at FLIFLY if they’re up for a good challenge.

“FLIFLY has a budget for those who dream to improve life for their communities. We encourage them to join us. We can teach them techniques and can share training particularly.”