Nara
Main In
Spring of 1998, Nara embarked on a mission to help the people of Cambodia,
spending almost four years traveling throughout the country overseeing
the distrubution of food, construction of wells and reservoirs, building
of schools for children, and various other humanitarian activities.
He is driven by a deep empathy for the poor of Cambodia, arising from
still vivid memories of extreme hunger under the Khmer Rouge. Through
these charitable services, he is able to help heal the wounds of the
past for both himself and the people he serves.
Nara was a monk
from May of 1992 until February of 2006 when obligations to his elderly
mother lead him to return to the life of a layperson.
Sody
Lay A
former monk, Sody helped found United Cambodian Students at UCLA as
well as the Khmer
Institute. He has also served as a board member of Cambodian Family
community service center for a number of years. Before graduation
from Columbia Law School in 1997, Sody was awarded a human rights
grant which he used to fund an internship with an NGO in Cambodia.
Since then, he has written legal commentary for Radio Free Asia and
taught a course on Cambodian refugees at UCLA, UCI, Cal State Fullerton
and UMass Boston. Read his article Remembering
the Cambodian Tragedy.
Livsieng
Tung Livsieng
is a former Buddhist monk who regularly helps out at various pagodas
in Southern California. His professional
interest lies in the field of architecture, where he holds a bachelor's
degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He has worked in the architectural
field for a number of years as a senior draftsperson, job captain,
and most recently a project manager.
Fany
Ros Khiev Fany
is a devout Buddhist and student of the Dhamma who has worked as a
social worker for Los Angeles County since 1980. She derives great
satisfaction from her work as it enables her to provide counseling
and other assistance to Cambodians in Long Beach with special needs,
such as the elderly, sick and disabled. Fany is also a founder of
the L.A. County Cambodian Employees Association and currently sits
on its advisory board. Before the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia,
Fany taught English at Lycée Neary in Phnom Penh. Since then,
she has earned a master's degree in human behavior from National University
and has compiled a book to help preserve Khmer culture entitled Directory
of Cambodian Sanskrit Names for your Newborns.
