Our Vision

"One sponsor. One child. One Cambodian at a time."

I’m Sherri Ko—a retired first-grade teacher, part-time travel agent, and now founder of One×3. My journey began not with a plan, but with a cruise. Ten years ago, God led me to Cambodia through an unexpected route: a river cruise on the AmaDara.

There, I met two extraordinary people—Nop, a waiter, and Maria, the maître d'. They weren’t like anyone I had met in my travels. A friendship grew, and through Facebook, I stayed connected. Eventually, I learned that Maria was expecting a baby while still working on the boat.

Years later, I returned to Cambodia and Maria welcomed me into her home. On that visit, Nop placed her baby boy, Visal, into my arms—and in that moment, a soul tie was formed. A bond deeper than words. A God-ordained soul tie that cannot be broken.

When Plans Change, God Moves

Cambodia is a place of incredible beauty—but it is also marked by deep poverty and systemic corruption. I knew that education was the key to breaking the cycle, and my heart longed to give Visal a better future.

At one point, I asked my husband if I could bring Visal to the U.S., raise him, and send him to school. His answer was "absolutely not".  Friends reminded me, “You won’t be able to retire.”

Well… I’ve retired.
But God had other plans.

With international travel on hold due to COVID, my dream of returning to Cambodia and enrolling Visal in an international school was put on pause. I was stuck in the U.S., and Maria and Visal remained in Cambodia.

Then came another divine appointment.

In 2022, while on a cruise to South America, I came across a post on  Facebook: a group of children dancing at New Life School in Phnom Penh. My heart jumped.
“New Life Church has a school?”

Right there in the middle of the ocean, God answered a prayer I had nearly given up on.

I reached out to my Khmer friend, Meychen, who not only researched the cost of tuition—she went a step further. She called Maria directly and told her:
“Take Visal and go enroll him in New Life School.”

That moment was God’s first miracle in this journey.

Later, I found out there was a long waiting list, and Visal never should have been admitted.
But God made a way—because He always does.