PHNOM PENH: The founder of the Coconut School on Kirirom Mountain has announced that, thanks to the support from donors, the school will be able to provide education to impoverished children from forest communities for another full year.
Ouk Vanday explained that he will now seek additional methods to ensure his schoolcan become self-sufficient.
Vanday, also known as the “Trash Warrior”, told The Post that he had initially announced the school’s closure this coming April. The news sparked widespread public concern, with many expressing their desire to see the school — which has been operating atop Kirirom Mountain for eight years — continue teaching children.
He explained that after the news was widely shared, many philanthropists from both inside and outside the country contacted him with the intention of providing financial support to keep the school from closing its doors.
“The Coconut School now has permanent participation, which means that in 2026, we can continue until the end of the year. This is because after we announced the news, a logistics company committed to providing US$1,000 a month for a full year, and a wealthy family in the US committed $1,000 a month for three years. These two forces help fill our essential needs, along with help from other donors,” he said.
According to the founder, now that there is sufficient funding for 2026, he plans to renovate and improve the school. This includes adding equipment and items for children to play with outside of their studies and installing a fence around the school to ensure their safety.
Drawing from his experience of past financial difficulties, he also plans to create sustainable revenue sources to support the school. He intends to sell entry tickets at a reasonable price for visitors and relocate the “Trash Cafe”.
“We will sell tickets for 2,000 Riel (approximately $0.50) when tourists visit the Coconut School. This will contribute to sustaining the school. Furthermore, we will find other methods, including moving the school's cafe to a main tourist entrance — a major thoroughfare — where we can sell products to increase sustainable income,” said Vanday.
The school has faced financial shortages for many years, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Vanday explained that the total operating cost for the school in the forest is approximately $3,000 per month, or $35,000 per year.
Specifically, $1,500 goes toward the salaries of five teachers, while the other $1,500 covers food, utilities and school supplies for the students. Currently, there are about 150 students: 70 in the morning session and 80 in the afternoon.
The Coconut School was established in Kirirom National Park in 2018 and has become a training ground for hundreds of orphans and impoverished children living on the mountain.
The school buildings were constructed using recycled materials, such as bottles, straws, old tyres, car gas tanks and other scrap materials, which were transformed into classrooms, decorations, symbols and souvenirs. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
