A Christmas Day charity fun fair in Siem Reap will raise funds for orphans and monks living at Wat Atvea near Phnom Krom.

“We are staging this event for the first time so that children at the pagoda can meet friends while having fun,” said Nhong Sathya, sales director of Royal Angkor Resort and Spa, which hosts the event from 10:30am to 5pm on Saturday.

“We hope to have about 1,000 participants since it is the first such event for the hotel. The profit from selling drinks, food and coupons will go to about 280 orphans and 50 monks at Wat Atvea Children’s Community Project,” he said.

Prizes can be won at traditional fun fair stalls such as a wheel of fortune, while there will also be pony rides, bike rides, face painting, a treasure hunt and many other games. Food and drink stalls will keep people energised for a visit by Santa Claus.

Entrance is free but people can buy books of 20 coupons for food, drink and games for $10 on the day.

There are nearly 18,500 people living and working around Wat Atvea district. This community project is totally focused on sustainable development, said Chris Ho, the general manager of the resort.

“Today, we are helping the community by fundraising to send children to school to learn foreign languages such as English, Japanese, Korean and Chinese, aiming to improve their knowledge to get jobs and develop tourism in Siem Reap,” he said, naming someof their projects. HR