Welcome to the Trailblazer Foundation
As most are aware, there is a great need for development assistance throughout the world. Scott and Chris Coats, Founders of Trailblazer Foundation, have dedicated years of their lives to helping others. They began volunteering full-time in 2001 on numerous and varied projects through the South Pacific, S.E. Asia, and Europe. They first visited Cambodia in February 2002 for a bit of holiday between volunteer activities, and made it their goal to return and focus on assisting the rural villages of Cambodia. Trailblazer Foundation was born and incorporated as a 501(c)3 in April 2004. The Coats’ moved to Siem Reap, Cambodia in January 2005 to begin their work.
Siem Reap Province has some the poorest areas in Cambodia. After having discussions with the Angkor Thom District officials, Chris and Scott Coats agreed to work with Sras Village as their first village project. Sras Village was identified as one of the poorest of 100 villages in Angkor Thom District and had received little to no international aid, villagers had little hope for rising above the World Bank poverty definition of “the poorest of the poor.” Residents had no access to potable water; 79% of men and 92% of women were illiterate; only 18 out of 550 children ever attended school; and water borne diseases like malaria, dysentery and dengue fever were claiming the lives of individuals every day.
Trailblazer Foundation strives to preserve the cultural integrity of the villages we work in by using a participatory model of community-based development. This model allows the villagers to identify their needs and empowers them to work in partnership with us to find sustainable solutions to their most pressing needs.
It is, and always has been, the mission and goal of Trailblazer Foundation to build upon self-sustaining programs which promote community and individual growth. Therefore, as part of an exit strategy from our Siem Reap work site, our Cambodian Director and Office Manager have been trained to manage projects and programs in-country and stand on their own. This ensures a fluid continuation of projects and programs that are up and operating, and gives them further experience in working with the various facets of business while providing a source of income for their family and the Cambodian staff.
There is still much work to accomplish and funding to support these efforts. We hope you join the team of Trailblazers in any way you can. Together we can help the world one step at a time. Please read on to find out what we are doing and how you can help. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email us at:
info@thetrailblazerfoundation.org
