Friends-International Blog

The Siem Reap half marathon, held in Cambodia each December, is not just a test of stamina and skill for participants but also forms a significant part of the fundraising calendar, with many runners pushing their physical limits to raise awareness and funds for their favorite cause or issue. So it was for FI volunteer [...]

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The wait is almost over… all the renovation,restoration, preparation and perspiration over the last few months is about to come to fruition… Marum is nearly ready for business! Marum is the new TREE Alliance training restaurant in Siem Reap, Cambodia, following in the footsteps of renowned and established restaurants such as Friends, Romdeng, Makphet and [...]

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We are delighted to announce the launch of a new website for the TREE project, a global initiative from Friends which not only will get disadvantaged young people into training and on into employment in a fast-growing international market, but will provide a quality experience for customers also. Standing for Training Restaurants for Employment and [...]

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In this edition of ‘A Day In The Life’ we are introduced to Nina, cooking teacher at Mith Samlanh. My name is Nina and I have been teaching the level 1 cooking vocational training class for the past seven years. I usually arrive at Mith Samlanh at 7.30am and begin my day by checking that [...]

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We were recently delighted to welcome two special guests on a flying visit to the Phnom Penh training kitchens at ‘Friends the Restaurant’ and ‘Romdeng’. Lim Sien Chian, (Demi Chef) and Khoo Jit Yong (restaurant manager) came to us from the InterContinental Hotel in Singapore, through the Project Hammer volunteer initiative. This was an amazing [...]

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Our long-term and valued supporter and partner Silk Air feature a very special story about the work of Friends-International in the latest edition of ‘Silkwinds’, their in-flight magazine. In it we follow the ups and downs in the story of Sopheap Sok, who first came to Friends in 1996 as a disadvantaged young man determined [...]

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It was 10 years ago, on February 23 2001 to be exact, that ‘Friends the Restaurant’ first opened its doors to a hungry and expectant public. Over those ten years it has more than met those expectations and grown into an internationally recognized culinary destination for those who are traveling through Phnom Penh, a must [...]

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Friends the Restaurant in Phnom Penh is  hosting a great new exhibition by photographer Malik Boltener, a mosaic made up of over 250 of portraits of students and staff at Friends. The series in black and white is similar to other well known photos from Cambodia’s past, but the great difference that today’s faces of [...]

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