These projects we have worked on have completed since 2015. It is not only to make the Rainbow Orphanage self-sufficient but also provide a training ground for the children under our care in Rainbow Orphanage - and a role model for local villagers in animal husbandry, crop development, and food productions. These are essential for 'life skills' in a rural community.
Eco-Farm is a long term project which we have worked with since we first started Rainbow programs in 2007. At first, we did the work all by hand. Our local volunteers came to teach the children how to grow vegetables like papaya, salads, tomatoes, and cucumbers, and feed domestic animals such as pigs, chickens, and ducks. In the early morning, our children had to get up to bring the water from the ponds for their vegetables before they had breakfast for school. By doing this, we can survive and had enough food for our needs.
To support our daily needs, especially the food, we have several fish feeding ponds at the eco-farm. It is not only used for fish, but we can get enough water to supply the crops on the farm. In our ponds, we feed many kinds of fish and animals such as catfish, snake-headed fish, frogs, eels, and even the snails. On the water surface, we grow some water plants like water lily.
Eco-Farm is a Rainbow's project which covers vegetables and animals. In its garden, we plant some crops such as lemon, bananas, mangoes, dragon fruits, sugar can, papaya, and other edible fruits. Some kinds of trees need more time to get the fruits that the children in that generation were already left Rainbow before they could see their results. Anyway, in any time when they are free from work in Krong Siem Reap, they can still come to visit and eat those fruits.
Besides the fish and vegetables at our eco-farm, we also feed some frogs as the food. Insects and crickets are the most common frog food naturally, but nowadays we offer instance food for our frog with a varied diet. We buy frog food at our local market. After starting with the small ones, we can sell the frogs 3 months later for around USD 2.00 to 2.50 per kilogram.
Wake Foundation has come to our organization for many years and sent Taiwanese volunteers to visit our projects.
The Taiwanese volunteers to our project at Rainbow Orphanage that inspired us and remained memoried.
Thank for a group of Singaporeans who visited our projects and helped donate our village children at local primary school during.
