Our Story

We believe that a group of thoughtful and committed individuals can make a real difference. That is why members of the Cambodian community in Maine gathered together to envision what a thriving, vibrant, and visible Cambodian community would look like.

Khmer Maine has its roots in a previous organization, the Cambodian Community Association of Maine, and was founded by Marpheen Chann, Sosanya Pok, Theary Ryder, Bunly Uy, and many members of our current board (as of 2024) - with the help and guidance of Mufalo Chitam of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Shima Kabirigi of Maine Initiatives.

The dream was to start an organization instilled with a deep sense of community, ethics, civic duty, and responsibility, transparency, and accountability. Since our founding, we have worked to establish programs and services that meet the needs of our community. We understand the crucial role of collaboration in achieving our goals. Recognizing the limitations of individual organizations, we actively seek partnerships with diverse entities and engage in coalition efforts. Concurrently, we remain dedicated to strengthening and building the capacity of our community.

Now that we have found our footing, Khmer Maine has established and built relationships with other AAPI-led and AAPI-serving organizations, such as the Chinese American Friendship Association of Maine and Filipino Samahan of Maine. We hope that together, we can provide models of leadership and sustainable development for AAPI communities in Maine.

We still have a lot of work to do, but we hope that you will join us, support us, and cheer us on as we make a difference and create change together.