“The Village Hive is as pioneering as the astronauts on the Apollo mission landing on the moon”
— Hak Chanley, Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth
For decades, most international charities have provided ambulances at the bottom of the cliff, with donations going towards responding to people in crisis. It makes sense to want to help people in urgent need, but the most effective way to help isn’t responding to crisis; it’s preventing it by building local systems that work for generations.
That’s what the Village Hive is designed to do.
On June 26th 2025 in Phnom Penh, our Village Hive model was formally adopted and launched as Cambodia’s national framework for social protection.
On the surface, the Village Hive sounds simple, almost obvious. But it’s actually a complete inversion of how aid has operated for decades.
The Village Hive is a community-led social protection system, pioneered in Battambang, Cambodia, to dismantle the structural root causes of poverty. It brings together local government, public services, and community networks into a coordinated hub that prioritises prevention and early intervention, creating a
strong social safety net that raises living standards, lifts whole communities out of poverty, and reduces dependence on charities.
The Village Hive Pilot in Battambang, Cambodia, is building one Village Hive in each of the ten communes (62 Villages) in Battambang District.
First launched in 2022, the pilots have proven to be an unprecedented success in reducing child protection risks and domestic violence, preventing child-family separation, and raising living standards.
Battambang Population 116,793
Click on each community to explore the Village Hive
Education
Health
Social Work
= integrated
= not yet integrated
We believe that true impact is measured by meaningful, lasting change, not simply by counting activities or outputs. Rather than focusing on how many workshops were delivered or services provided, we measure whether families are stronger, children are safer, communities are more resilient, and local systems are better equipped to support people for generations to come. Our focus is not just on what we do, but also on the difference it makes.
