Project wisdom from the Forest is just 1 hour away from the ancient temples of Angkor Thom.  The village now flourishes with activity compared to its humble beginnings in 2002, originally set on 5 hectares of land, it now spreads across 23 hectares.

 

PWF is the centre of the institute's weaving production, and we harvest everything from the forest. 160 villagers live and work here within the natural environment, as well as our founder Morimoto.

 

At dawn you can see the men of the village collect fish from the nets they laid down at night, while the women start up the fire for their breakfast meal. Children run freely from house to house gathering their friends for the trip to school. The village school provides the children with lessons in mathematics, literacy, and languages, such as Japanese and where possible English.

 

Mangos ripen on the trees, as chickens roam freely underneath. Vegetable patches provide everyone with food to eat, and the villagers use the forest to collect natural dyes. Each family has a different role in the community, divided into their areas of expertise. For example, the family’s specialist in breeding the silk care lovingly for the worms, picking fresh mulberry leaves for them each day, while others start the time consuming dying or weaving process. 

 

Now the village is established as a traditional forest, you can get a feel for how Cambodia used to be, and the role tradition plays in sustaining a strong and caring community. We are still young and hope the village can grow and survive for centuries to come.

 

Visitors are welcomed to the village to come and explore the land, workshops, forest, and shop. We also offer a guesthouse for those interested in staying longer than a day. (Please click here for visiting information)