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In 1996, Paul Badié returned to the land of his birth Cambodia. As a result of 30 years of war, Khmer Rouge rule and foreign occupation, he found his country broken. The loss of the educated class and artists was very evident. He immediately set upon building small schools in the countryside. His students were the children of poor farmers who desired to learn. The curriculum began with English language and computer skills and was later expanded to include Thai and Chinese languages
By the year 2004, Paul Badié had opened 4 schools. His students gained not only a working knowledge of English and computers but more importantly, self-confidence and pride.
His future project is to work with traditional Cambodian potters. He hopes to help them improve production without breaking or losing their traditional forms.
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