## Overview

In June 2022 we had an amazingly inspirational week for several of [Twilio's](https://www.linkedin.com/company/twilio-inc-/) leaders in APAC & Japan, combining the opportunity to support Volunteer Building Cambodia to build not one but two houses in rural Siem Reap, along with leadership and personal development, led by the inimitable [Lee Hawksley](https://www.linkedin.com/in/leehawksley/). All this while in a beautiful country dotted with ancient temples.

At the same time as we were giving back to the community through literally building houses with our bare hands, we were exploring questions of personal values and leading with our own particular purposes. Without a doubt, this will make all of us more effective leaders.

The ability to make time to come together was made possible by Twilio's highly innovative concept of Think Week, where employees are encouraged to cancel regular meetings and focus on their own projects and development. It's safe to say we did that in spades.

## Objectives

The objective of this trip was to build two houses for deserving Cambodian families in conjunction with a team building meeting for the Twilio APAC and Japan leadership team. Our trip also supported the local tourism-driven community, that has suffered dramatically from the last two years of COVID. 






## Itinerary

Team members arrived in Siem Reap on either the Saturday or the Sunday, and used the rest of the weekend to get settled in and explore the city.

Each morning, we left the hotel at around 7 am, taking a bus to the building site. We worked until midday, then returned to the hotel for our leadership sessions.

The days’ building activities were very carefully planned, with lots of sawing, painting, hammering and chiseling, as well as ceremonies for blessing the houses. We also had an opportunity to visit the school run by Volunteer Building Cambodia, seeing the facilities and meeting some of the staff and students.

The week was rounded out by the blessing of the houses and a handover ceremony. Once complete, the team received a water blessing at a nearby temple!

On different evenings we participated in different activities, including a tour to visit Angkor Wat temple (great while tourist numbers are low), a visit to the astounding Phare Circus, as well as local and international fine dining options.

For team members who stayed until the weekend, there was the opportunity to visit more temples, including Ta Prohm (overrun by trees and made famous by the Tomb Raider movies). It was amazing to be able to see some of Cambodia’s ancient history.

## Perspectives and Impact

The work that we did had a very profound impact on two families in particular: the owners of the new houses! Both of these families lost their previous houses, and having a secure place to live now gives them a level of certainty and independence that previously wasn’t possible. We’re hopeful it has a big positive impact on their lives.

On a bigger scale, the work and money we raised helps to support VBC’s work in lifting up the whole community in Siem Reap. Through the work of their amazing founder, Sinn, VBC has established a school to help children from disadvantaged backgrounds get ready for the world.

For me personally, it was great to be able to make a material difference to someone’s life, while also doing it with my peers and strengthening those bonds. We are very fortunate that Twilio offers us 20 hours of Volunteer Time Off (VTO) per year, as well as a generous allotment of Company Breaks. This means we are encouraged to use the privileges we have to give back to our local and global communities, and it’s something I would encourage more companies to do.


## Money Raised

Together Twilio raised over $6,000 USD to fund the construction of the two traditional Khmer wooden houses, as well as contributions to the ongoing running of the school.

## How you can help?
Visit the Volunteer Building Cambodia website and see how you can help this worthy cause. 

We work with volunteers from around the globe to build safe, dry housing for rural Cambodian families. Volunteers work under the guidance of our skilled Cambodian building team to construct a house in one week.

Cutting beams to size for building the house frame

Giving back to the community and team building for the Twilio APAC and Japan leadership organization

Building Houses (and Teams) in Cambodia

David Coghill
Head of Solutions Engineering, Asia Pacific & Japan at Twilio

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Building Houses (and Teams) in Cambodia

David CoghillHead of Solutions Engineering, Asia Pacific & Japan at Twilio

Related Experiences

Recommended Reading

David Coghill
Head of Solutions Engineering, Asia Pacific & Japan at Twilio