Social impact, cultural exchange and personal development: become a ‘Helping Hand’ at the Smiling Gecko Campus in Cambodia.
What are the Helping Hands?
First, let’s start by clarifying what ‘Helping Hands’ is not. It is not a holiday package and it’s not a platform for finding paid employment abroad.
What it is, however, is a unique opportunity to play an active role in a well-established development project for a limited time. The Smiling Gecko Campus in rural Cambodia offers an inspiring, welcoming and safe environment. It’s perfect for anyone eager to contribute meaningfully while also growing personally.
Whether you join us for just a week or deicide to stay longer, you’ll have the chance to make a real impact. That said, we do encourage longer stays as it takes a little time to fully settle into a new climate and culture, and the experience becomes all the richer for it.
We’d be delighted to discuss your plans with you and answer any questions you may have. We have already answered the most important questions right here on this website. Enjoy reading!
What qualifications do you need to be a Helping Hand?
Working on campus can be physically and mentally demanding, but also incredibly rewarding. Daytime temperatures can reach up to 40°C, combined with high humidity and you’ll be immersed in a new culture and language throughout your stay.
The most important thing is definitely a willingness to embrace the country’s unique characteristics. Life at the Smiling Gecko campus can be dynamic and sometimes unpredictable, as processes cannot always be planned in detail. If you enjoy flexibility and discovering new ways of doing things, you’ll feel right at home here.
You don’t need a background in agriculture or a related field to join us. However, a basic knowledge of English is essential, as communication with the local teams is exclusively in English. Being able to connect with the people around you will make your experience far more meaningful and enjoyable.
We encourage you to be honest with yourself about what you are looking for, this will ensure your time on campus will be fulfilling and memorable.
You can find further information in the FAQs.
Agriculture
The Smiling Gecko Campus covers 30 hectares of farmland, where 45 different types of crops are grown. Typical tasks include harvesting fruit and vegetables, sowing seeds, and maintaining the fields.
Animal Husbandry
Chickens and fish are farmed on campus for use as food sources for the campus community, also live fish are sold to farmers in the surrounding area. Typical tasks for Helping Hands here include feeding the animals and monitoring the facilities.
Campus Kitchen
Working in the campus canteen involves preparing meals for our staff and schoolchildren, as well as producing baked goods and meat products for domestic sale.
Infrastructure
The term ‘infrastructure’ encompasses all areas of work relating to the maintenance and upkeep of the campus. This includes simple building repairs, greenhouse maintenance and path upkeep, for example.
Joinery Workshop
In the joinery workshop, we manufacture and repair furniture for the campus, as well as producing handicrafts to sell locally. For example, Helping Hands can produce pepper mills or chopping boards here.
Sewing Workshop
In the sewing workshop, our staff’s clothing and school uniforms are mended, and commissioned work for the Farmhouse is produced. The machines used here are ideally suited to Helping Hands.
Metal Workshop
The metal workshop is where the floating structures for our fish farm are built. Agricultural equipment is also repaired and serviced here. Helping Hands work here would mainly be a supporting role.
Farmhouse Resort
What you can expect on campus
Days on campus tend to start and finish relatively early. This rhythm is shaped by the climate, as physical work is best carried out during the cooler hours of the day.
The three daily meals are a special highlight of campus life. They offer an opportunity for Helping Hands and all the other staff members to come together, sharing food, experiences and a sense of community.
Here’s what a typical day on campus might look like:
| 06:00 | Wake up just before sunrise |
| 06:30 – 07:15 | Breakfast in the campus canteen |
| 07:20 | Daily task assignment, followed by a briefing from supervisors |
| 07:45 – 11:00 | Work in one of the campus areas |
| 11:00 – 13:00 | Lunch in the campus canteen |
| 13:00 – 17:00 | Continuation of the day’s work |
| 17:00 – 19:00 | Dinner in the campus canteen |
| From 19:00 | Free time |
We offer two types of accommodation,
along with flexible lengths of stay
Short Stays: Accommodation at the luxurious Farmhouse Resort
- Minimum stay: 7 days*
- Single accommodation
- Air-conditioned hotel room with en-suite bathroom
- Full board in the campus canteen
- Daily work assignments on campus as required
- Costs: $1,250 per person per week
- Additional weeks: $1,120 per person per week
Long Stays: Accommodation in functional staff accommodation
- Minimum stay: 30 days
- Single accommodation
- Air-conditioned room, shared bathroom
- Full board in the campus canteen
- Daily work assignments on campus as required
- Costs: $2,500 per person per month
- Additional weeks: $370 per person per week
Hotel Accommodation
The park-like Farmhouse Resort & Spa is a haven of heavenly tranquillity that has already won numerous awards. The luxurious Farmhouse features 24 tastefully furnished rooms, spread across 12 classic Khmer-style bungalows and 10 modern bungalow suites. All rooms and suites are equipped with air conditioning and boast generous amenities, such as private terraces or day beds. The resort features several restaurants as well as the 8,000 m² Sanctuary Spa with a gym.
Staff Accommodation
Our staff accommodations, known as ‘dorms’, are located in the immediate vicinity of our campus canteen and some of the agricultural and craft workshops. The single rooms* are simply but functionally furnished and feature air conditioning. The perfect choice for anyone wishing to stay on campus for a longer period and seeking an authentic experience.
*Double rooms are subject to availability.
We offer two types of accommodation, along with flexible lengths of stay
Short Stays: Accommodation at the luxurious Farmhouse Resort
- Minimum stay: 7 days*
- Single accommodation
- Air-conditioned hotel room with en-suite bathroom
- Full board in the campus canteen
- Daily work assignments on campus as required
- Costs: $1,250 per person per week
- Additional weeks: $1,120 per person per week
Long Stays: Accommodation in functional staff accommodation
- Minimum stay: 30 days
- Single accommodation
- Air-conditioned room, shared bathroom
- Full board in the campus canteen
- Daily work assignments on campus as required
- Costs: $2,500 per person per month
- Additional weeks: $370 per person per week
Hotel Accommodation
The park-like Farmhouse Resort & Spa is a haven of heavenly tranquillity that has already won numerous awards. The luxurious Farmhouse features 24 tastefully furnished rooms, spread across 12 classic Khmer-style bungalows and 10 modern bungalow suites. All rooms and suites are equipped with air conditioning and boast generous amenities, such as private terraces or day beds. The resort features several restaurants as well as the 8,000 m² Sanctuary Spa with a gym.
Staff Accommodation
*Double rooms are subject to availability.
Why does staying on campus cost money?
Unlike traditional volunteering organisations and working holiday providers, which primarily seek cheap labour, Smiling Gecko is a well established charity dedicated to educating children and young adults in Cambodia.
At Helping Hands, we offer you the chance to be part of this meaningful mission. Hands-on work on campus is the perfect way to contribute, allowing you to see the difference that you make firsthand.
To ensure that participation does not create a financial burden for our project, which is largely funded through donations, we charge a fee based on the type of accommodation you choose. This fee covers board and lodging, as well as a share of wages for local support staff and basic infrastructure provision.
Interested?
We welcome written enquiries in English. For general enquiries and specific booking requests, please email:
helpinghands@smilinggecko-cambodia.org.
FAQs
Depending on the accommodation you choose, stays of one week or more are possible. There is no set maximum length of stay, but in our view it should not exceed six months.
No, volunteers cannot choose where they work on campus. Our supervisors assess the most urgent priorities and allocate tasks accordingly, ensuring that support is provided where it is needed most.
To protect our children, we do not assign Helping Hands to work in our schools or nurseries.
A basic knowledge of English is a prerequisite for volunteering, as all communication on campus takes place in this language. No further language skills are required.
This is generally possible. However, we cannot guarantee that you will be assigned to work together. The same applies to accommodation in the shared lodgings. We will, however, endeavour to find suitable arrangements.
All adults (generally aged 18 and over) are welcome. In principle, there is no upper age limit. However, we would very much prefer to spare people aged 75 and over the rigours of the climate and the physical work. You are, however, welcome to stay with us as resort guests.
Generally, we work five days a week and have the weekend off. However, if you are assigned to work at the Farmhouse or on other urgent tasks, your days off may be scheduled on different days. There are no days off for stays of one week or less.
Most likely, yes. For more information, please visit e.visa or talk to our team: helpinghands@smilinggecko-cambodia.org
Generally, there are no compulsory vaccinations required for visits to Cambodia. However, we strongly recommend that you consult a specialist in tropical medicine or a travel medicine centre.
The domestic political situation is generally stable. Border disputes with Thailand have so far only affected regions far from the Smiling Gecko campus.
We are here to help. Please contact us via email at helpinghands@smilinggecko-cambodia.org
Yes. Both the Khmer New Year (14th to 16th April) and the Christmas period (20th December to 4th January) are blackout dates for stays at the Farmhouse. For stays at the dorms these dates do not apply. Still, all stays are subject to availability. Talk to us to find out if we have any vacancies: helpinghands@smilinggecko-cambodia.org
50% of the total amount is due upon booking. The remaining balance is payable three weeks before the start of your stay.
You can cancel free of charge up to eight weeks before the start of your stay. For cancellations made later than this, we charge 50% of the total price. We recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance.
The existing volunteer programme at Smiling Gecko is geared toward professionals. These volunteers typically have specific skills and experience, and they contribute as trainers on the Smiling Gecko Campus, helping build local capacity in areas like agriculture, hospitality, or education. Helping Hands, on the other hand, is meant for people without specialized professional skills relevant to the organization. It allows individuals to take part in an established development aid programme and contribute in more general, supportive ways.
