About our people
Meet the Founder
![]() Racky is always happy when he is out visiting the schools. |
![]() Racky at Ek Phnom Pagoda classroom. He is delighted with the work carried out by Future Sense Foundation volunteers and children who painted the classroom in 2015. |
Bunrith (Racky) Thy is the founder of Children’s Action for Development (CAD).
Racky grew up during the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era and experienced things that no young boy should have to. He moved from his village to Battambang to study when he was 13 years old and lived at a pagoda with the monks. It took Racky 40 years for to write the story of his life under the Khmer Rouge. To get a better understanding of the forces that drive this man on, read his full story here.
Racky graduated high school in 1996 and volunteered to work with a number of local Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) so that he could understand how they functioned. Eager for further development, Racky went on to study at Battambang University, completing a degree in Human Resource Management.
Racky opened one school, called the Cambodia Education Centre, providing English classes. Then, in 2006, Racky renamed the project “Children’s Action for Development” and schools popped up in five different locations, teaching 321 children with 27 volunteer teachers and staff. Classes were expanded to include English, Khmer Literacy, Mathematics, Sociology, computer, life skills and sport.
For many years Racky managed CAD as a volunteer and used his teaching jobs at the University to earn money. Then, in 2012, things started to change when CAD began a partnership with Future Sense Foundation and Classroom of Hope. These two international NGOs have enabled CAD to employ Racky and his team and significantly improve the quality of the supplementary classes.
To watch Racky tell his own story, watch this video...
For a very brief overview of CAD and Cambodia watch the following...
(Thanks to 'Steckog' for uploading this on youtube)