What a cool and helpful project, and even more awesome the villagers themselves saved the day with this cultural tradition. Things like this are somewhat lost in the west where the emphasis is on the individual and individualism, and that rarely leads to a sense of community. There's not even a concept for village in the USA, perhaps this is why Cambodia is where I feel most at home cared for by the local community.
I bet this was very rewarding for you, of course I'm not speaking financially. There are many ways to be rich, and financially wealthy is just one way of many.