Our Story

A full education until college graduation

Hidden in Kulen Mountain’s jungle, Popel village had no teachers for years. Yet children kept learning, guided by Meas, a fourth grader sharing lessons from old notes. Their commitment sparked Kulen Outreach, opening opportunities for students like Sreyneath to finish school and pursue university dreams.

Moved by their courage and potential, we made a promise:

to provide a complete education, from primary school to college graduation, for the children of Kulen Mountain.

From that moment,
became more than an idea.
It became a mission.

Who We Are

Kulen Outreach exists to change the reality that only a few Cambodian children complete high school. On Kulen Mountain, remote villages once had no active schools or teachers, leaving children with hope but no opportunity. We believed their determination deserved a future.

Today, Kulen Outreach offers free education from primary school to college support through three campuses. The results are real students who once sat in empty classrooms are now graduating as professionals and leaders.

Students Walking Together on a Garden

Every child deserves the chance to learn and dream—no matter how remote their home. Education is not charity; it is opportunity, dignity, and the beginning of change.

Our Founders & Leadership

Kulen Outreach was founded by a team of passionate educators, development specialists, and philanthropists who saw the transformative power of education up close.

International Board

Phillip Mactaggart

Co-Founder

Gordon Elliot

Co-Founder

Claire Handleman

Board Member

Philip is Vice Chair of Western Heritable and serves on the Investment Committee of Mactaggart Family & Partners. With over 40 years in New York’s commercial and residential real estate industry, he now dedicates more time to philanthropy than business, driven by the joy of helping others. For more than three decades, his focus has been education equity, co-founding Kulen Outreach schools in Cambodia and supporting programs including KIPP NYC and Eagle Hill School, as well as creating the Tomato War fundraiser. Philip holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School.

Gordon Elliott, a four-time Emmy winner, has spent decades creating iconic lifestyle programs in the U.S. His broadcast career began at 19, leading to national hosting roles and the creation of hit shows for the Fox Network. His company, Follow Productions, delivered over 24 successful series including ABC’s “The Chew.”

In 2014, Gordon, his wife Claire, and partner Philip Mactaggart founded Kulen Outreach, supporting rural Cambodian students through free education to university. Today, he develops scripted content and serves on lifestyle company boards, now back in Sydney with his family.

Clair has been with the program since day one. She is no longer a practicing chef, but once upon a time, she worked in some of the best restaurants in both New York and Thailand. Today, she is a mom and it’s her favorite job. She earned her BA in Global Studies at the University of Southern California, Santa Barbara.

Phillip Mactaggart
Gordon Elliot
Claire Handleman

All Female Board

All our Cambodian board members are strong Cambodian women who on Kulen Mountain, and Yeourn is a teacher at the Siem Reap Boarding School.
All Female Board Kulen Outreach

In Country Partners

Kiani Vereycken
Dries Deconynck

Kiani Vereycken

Co-Founder

Dries Deconynck

Co-Founder

Kiki graduated from a European university as a language teacher specializing in English as a Second Language. Her passion for travelling and curiosity brought her to Cambodia three years ago. She started out as a volunteer, became a teacher and today she is the Program Director and Funding and Partnership Coordinator, supervising the quality of the Kulen Outreach programs and spreading her passion about our mission.

Dries is a program director and Funding and Partnerships Coordinator at Kulen Outreach. Dries is deeply passionate about making a difference in education and empowering students. With his experience teaching in Belgium, Norway, and Cambodia, he tailors the curricula with our students’ needs and background in mind. He dedicates his time on making sure the quality of the program is top notch.

Meet Our Team

Representative Sreimom

Sreimom

Representative and Executive Director

Teacher Ro

Ro

Teacher

Teacher Yeourn

Yeourn

Teacher Boarding School

Head Teacher Jury

Jury

Headteacher at the Boarding School

Teacher Puthearak

Puthearak

Teacher Boarding School

Teacher Meas

Meas

Teacher Boarding School

Caregiver Chantrea

Chantrea

Caregiver

Caregiver Rany

Rany

Caregiver

Our Mission

A Full Education Until Colledge Graduation
We prioritize

Empowering girls and young women in marginalized communities

English fluency

Digital literacy

Life skills

Lifelong learning and leadership

Mental health, critical thinking, and ethics

Sustainable local reinvestment through alumni employment

Our Values

“In Kulen Outreach, we all help each other. We want to become better people by learning from each other.” - Lin Lai, grade 12 student.
Our Values Equity Kulen Outreach

Equity

We focus on students most in need, especially girls in rural villages.
Our Values Commitment Kulen Outreach

Commitment

For 12 years now we have provided a full education from grade 1 through college graduation free of charge
Our Values Community Kulen Outreach

Community

We engage parents, community members, and former students in the learning journey.
Our Values Integrity Kulen Outreach

Integrity

We are a grassroots organization, creating our program based on the needs of the communities we work with.
Our Values Empowerment Kulen Outreach

Empowerment

We empower our students to make their own life choices by encouraging self-belief and developing critical thinking.

Partners & Supporters

Looking Forward

What started with 14 students in a forgotten jungle village has grown into a movement, one that now supports over 260 students, operates three campuses, and is developing Cambodia’s next generation of leaders, doctors, teachers, and innovators. We estimate that through the Kulen Outreach program, we indirectly positively influence 732 people’s lives on a yearly basis. We continue to explore different ways to increase our impact in the isolated Kulen Mountain region and to include more villages and communities in our program.

Looking Forward Kulen Outreach