Est. 2025 · Siem Reap, Cambodia
GEVI connects committed international volunteers with underserved communities in Cambodia — building the educators, events, and programmes that last long after any volunteer leaves.
What We Do
GEVI mobilises trained, accountable international volunteers to deliver education and creative enrichment to children who lack consistent access to either — while building a pipeline of local educators who will eventually run the programme themselves.
Named for the founder's grandmother Galina — whose warmth and generosity are the spirit behind everything we do — GEVI is not a gap-year project. It is a long-term institutional commitment to the communities of Siem Reap province, built to outlast any single volunteer, any single donor, and any single year.
"Gala" alone carries that family meaning forward — simple, honest, and built to last.
Where We Work
$30–50 a month trains a local student into a paid Community Teacher — versus $250 a month for an international placement. Every contribution moves that forward.
GALA is named in honour of the founder's grandmother, Galina — whose warmth and generosity embody the spirit of the initiative. The word 'gala' also means a joyous occasion, which is exactly what education and community should feel like for every child involved.
EDUCATIONAL says plainly what we do — no stylised respelling, no hidden initials, just an honest description of the work. GEVI: Gala Educational Volunteer Initiative.
"Cambodia's children deserve more than periodic charity. They deserve consistency, creativity, and connection to the wider world."
Mark Sorokin is a Cardiff University graduate and multilingual social entrepreneur who founded GEVI after working with communities in Cambodia and recognising that the volunteer sector — as it exists — too often extracts more than it gives.
His background spans legal consulting in Zürich and Nicosia, teaching students aged 8–29 in language and debate, and organising international educational events including conferences in Singapore. He is based in Siem Reap — teaching, building, and refusing to leave what he started.
Languages: English · Russian (native) · Italian (native) · Spanish (B1)
What We Stand For
Programme 01
Advanced students from within our own partner communities are identified, trained, and progressively given teaching responsibilities — creating a self-sustaining local educator base that reduces dependency on international volunteers over time.
Grounded in peer-to-peer learning research (Sorokin, Cardiff University 2025) and the theoretical frameworks of Vygotsky, Mercer, Bandura, Wenger, and Edmondson.
Long runway. 2–4 years from identification to first TA role. Progression based on proficiency, patience, and peer trust — not age alone.
Fast-track. 3–6 months assessment period. B1 English equivalent required. Community-wide eligibility — not limited to current students.
Programme 02
A structured, recurring calendar of social, cultural, and recreational events for children across the GEVI network — facilitated by a trained Student Supervisor cohort drawn from the student community itself.
Monthly small events + quarterly signature events. Every event has pre-event preparation, on-the-day facilitation, and a post-event lesson. It is curriculum, not reward.
The Student Supervisor Initiative
Older students aged 14+ are trained to help organise, chaperone, and facilitate events alongside GEVI coordinators. A formal role — not informal helping. Junior Supervisors receive certificates and meals on event days. Senior Supervisors receive a per-event stipend. This is also the natural first entry point into the teaching pipeline.
What Volunteers Receive
Logistics
Volunteers cover their own flights. A programme contribution is requested to cover operational costs. GEVI provides a preferred accommodation list in Siem Reap. All volunteers must hold valid travel and medical insurance.
The Application Process
The earlier you start the better — DBS checks take time and placements fill fast. Get in touch and we'll guide you through everything.
Apply Now — sorokin.mark@icloud.comCurrent Partners
Extended Network
GEVI stays in honest contact with a wider circle of organisations — some occasional collaborators, some conversations still in progress. We'd rather list these accurately than round up.
Institutional Backing
GEVI's programmes are attracting interest from institutional partners at the regional and international level — including the OIF's Destination Éco-Talents programme, the leading sustainable tourism and youth empowerment initiative operating across Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand ahead of the 2026 World Francophonie Summit.
These relationships represent access to networks, funding streams, and institutional frameworks that multiply the impact of every session delivered on the ground in Siem Reap.
Where It Goes
An international volunteer teacher costs roughly $250 a month to place and support. A local student, trained through GEVI's Student-to-Teacher Pipeline into a paid Community Teacher role, costs $30–50 a month at the entry stage. Every contribution shortens the distance between those two numbers — funding transport, materials, and stipends for students moving through the pipeline at LJCF and Samrong.
Ways to Give
A Transparency Note
GEVI is not yet a registered charity, so contributions are not currently tax-deductible. Every contribution is tracked against a specific spending category and requires sign-off from GEVI's Chair before it's spent. We'll update this note the moment that changes.
Institutional & Grant Funding
GEVI is also pursuing institutional grants and embassy micro-project schemes, gated on our partner LJCF's registration status. If you represent a foundation, embassy programme, or corporate CSR fund, we'd welcome the conversation.
Any safeguarding concern should be directed to Mark Sorokin immediately. All concerns are taken seriously, logged, and — where required — escalated to Cambodian authorities and the relevant embassy. GEVI does not manage serious cases independently.
GEVI was named for a grandmother named Galina, and for a family who believe that education is the most powerful gift one generation can give to the next. Every lesson delivered, every volunteer trained, every student who becomes a teacher — it all carries that name forward.
We are just getting started. But we are starting right.