Phare Circus Show

Phare is short for Phare Ponleu Selpak, which means "the light of art." It is an art school founded in 1994 in Battambang by nine friends who returned from Cambodian refugee camps after the fall of the Khmer Rouge.

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In the refugee camp, a French volunteer had introduced them to painting. After returning home, their goal was to financially support her NGO, Phare Ponleu Selpak, to help young people regain their self-confidence, keep them engaged and off the streets, and allow them to express themselves through art. In addition to the drawing school, they quickly established a public school, as well as schools for music, circus, and graphic arts.

Over the years, Phare has grown and now operates an art and circus school that currently supports 1,400 children from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.