An engineer from Japan, Nobuo Endo, 63, worked as a United Nations Volunteer from 1999 to 2002, building bridges in Cambodia. The bridges he constructed didn't span rivers or roads, they crossed the divide between the old and the young. Nobuo worked with elderly villagers in the Angkor region to ensure the culture and heritage of Cambodia was not lost.

After Cambodia's wars in the 1970s, many traditional villages and cultural heritage sites were destroyed. Damage went beyond the physical – traditional values and cultural traditions were also destroyed. As people struggled to survive, there was little opportunity for basic education, let alone a chance to learn traditional music, dance, customs and value systems.

As a result, today's young people often do not remember the ways of their ancestors. Nobuo recognized that older people are a rich resource of traditional Cambodian culture in danger of being lost forever. He began working on a community project in the village of Kok Thout to create bonds and build communication between the old and the young. Inspired by a popular Cambodian song called 'Yiey, Ta,' (the lyrics say, "happy grandparents make for a good society"), the older people of Kok Thout formed two groups: one called Yiey, the Khmer word for grandmother, the other called Ta, meaning grandfather.

The Yiey and Ta groups divided into three sections to teach traditional activities such as weaving grass mats, making baskets from wild rattan and playing traditional Khmer music to the village's young people. More than 70 per cent of the elderly in Kok Thout joined in the project.

As elderly people recognized the importance of their educational roles, they become more confident, Nobuo observed. They felt like contributing members of the community as well as role models for future generations. To spread word of the project Yiey and Ta groups have compiled a 'culture book' for the community as a reference tool for students and youth. The book is a record of the Yiey and Ta activities, and is illustrated with pictures drawn by the participants.