«If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.»
It all started in 2008 when we, Sara and Paul Wallimann, embarked on a two-year world trip, spending seven months volunteering in Cambodia. During that time, we formed a deep connection with the country. We also witnessed how vulnerable young adults—especially those leaving institutions or growing up in poor rural areas—struggled to build independent lives in a world with limited opportunities.
We knew we couldn’t simply return to Switzerland and pretend we didn’t know. We wanted to create a safe, educational, and self-sustaining environment. Slowly, the idea for HAVEN was born: a social enterprise with a vocational training programme based on the Swiss dual apprenticeship system, giving young adults quality work and life skills to build secure futures.
In 2010, we returned to Switzerland to found the Dragonfly Association to raise the initial funds. In April 2011, we moved to Siem Reap and built HAVEN from scratch.
Soon after, Pardet Chhom—a skilled and passionate Khmer chef—joined as Head Chef, and our Swiss friend Steffi Feierabend came on board for the start-up phase. The four of us officially opened HAVEN in December 2011 with our first trainees and a small, dedicated staff.
As demand for training grew, HAVEN moved to a larger tropical garden location in Wat Damnak in late 2015, allowing us to welcome more trainees, create more secure local jobs, and serve more guests. Steffi moved on in 2018 with our endless gratitude, and in 2022, Education Manager Piseth Saing joined the board, helping us take our training and life-skills curriculum to an even higher level.
Over the years, we have faced our share of challenges—most notably navigating through the pandemic. Surviving and reviving was only possible thanks to our donors via Dragonfly and the determination of our incredible team. Today, Chef Pardet, Sara, Paul, Piseth, and our whole team continue to run HAVEN with the same passion, empowering young adults and shaping positive futures.
