Cambodia’s iconic Hôtel de la Paix has once again teamed up with MasterCard Worldwide to raise much-needed funds to buy bicycles for needy children living in the outlying villages around Siem Reap, improving access to education for hundreds of kids. Until the end of 2009, any transaction at - or booking for - Hôtel de la Paix paid for with a MasterCard will see a bicycle and school bag donated as part of the ‘Purchase with Purpose’ scheme, ensuring even more local children can get themselves, and their books, to school.

A successful trial in 2008 saw 397 bicycles purchased and donated to beneficiaries including the Sangkheum Center, Sunrise and Green Gecko orphanages; the Life and Hope Association; the Shinta Mani Hotel School; and the New Hope Community Project. The donations often had a multiplier effect, with each bike shared by up to three children as well as having the potential to be ‘inherited’ by younger siblings. The distribution of bicycles can create a lasting legacy in the wider community, facilitating school access for children from the poorer and more remote villages who need it most.

Hôtel de la Paix is passionate about taking an active role in helping the local community wherever possible. Through its Community Connections programme, the hotel helps needy families by providing anything from basic necessities such as food and personal amenities to employment opportunities and support. Working alongside the hotel, MasterCard’s ‘Purchase with Purpose’ scheme seeks to enable its cardholders to contribute to local communities and foster cross-cultural understanding and sensitivity through tourism.