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January 2008 - Posts
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SCC stocked 704 Khmer children's books, including 184 unique titles, and 40 Khmer puzzles in libraries at Svay Dungkum, Khnar, Phoum Stung, and Wat Mon Thyean Primary Schools this week. Most of the books were provided as a donation by two American travelers on holiday in Cambodia. Prior to their trip, the travelers raised $1000 through family and friends specifically to provide SCC-supported schools with a wider selection of Khmer storybooks.
Other books were made available through partnerships with Sipar and the Cambodian Hope Organisation, an international NGO and local NGO, respectively, who also build and stock libraries at government-run schools in Cambodia.
The books are expected to promote literacy and provide enrichment to students outside of the classroom.
Teachers and students at Khnar Primary School cannot wait for the books to be unboxed – they sneak a peek before the official handover is made!
Students at Khnar Primary School peruse the new Khmer books donated to their library:
Students at Khnar enjoy reading their library's new books, while Patty, who led fund-raising efforts for the books, distributes treats to students.
Third grade students at Svay Dungkum huddle in groups to enjoy the new books and puzzles now available in their library.
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Goldman Sachs employee Andy Hill has been awarded a 2007 Goldman Sachs Public Service Fellowship. The Goldman Sachs Public Service Program is a global initiative which provides a unique opportunity for top performing employees to serve the public by working for a charity of their choice.
Andy will work for Schools for Children of Cambodia (SCC) for one year from December 2007. He will be responsible for developing a medium-term strategy to help SCC maximise their impact and address sustainability. This will include a risk assessment as well as developing a plan for mitigating expansion risks including an estimation of SCC's medium to long-term financial needs that will enable us to meet strategic goals.
Having previously supported SCC in 2006 by fundraising to build new classrooms for Khnar School, Andy is familiar with our organisation and its core aims. He chose to work for SCC as he is passionate about education and felt he would be able to make a lasting impression within the duration of his secondment.
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Across four SCC-supported schools, teachers reported a shortage of 54 teachers' manuals. Without a manual, a teacher has little or no guidance for creating daily lesson plans. As a result, quality of education suffers.
School directors note that teachers' manuals are distributed through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) about every three years. A director can report a shortage, and when he/she does, there is typically a long lag – usually one year – between the time of the report and the time manuals are provided. Local MoEYS authorities attribute the lag to long communication chains.
SCC has addressed the immediate problem by copying and binding 54 teachers' manuals and distributing them to SCC-supported schools who demonstrated shortages. As a more strategic approach, SCC has brought this issue to the attention of NGO Education Partnership, a membership organisation that acts as a channel for dialogue and advocacy with the MoEYS.
SCC delivers teacher manuals to Phoum Stung, Khnar and Lolei Schools:
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Because of Lolei Primary School's proximity to the 9th century Lolei temple ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site, conservation activities limit construction at the school. As a result, when teachers expressed interest in opening a library to supplement children's education, alternatives to constructing a new building had to be considered.
On January 4, 2008, SCC donated a mobile library to Lolei. The double-sided cabinet on wheels is stocked with 143 Khmer children's book titles, 141 basic English books, 12 Khmer alphabet and number puzzles, and 2 large plastic mats that can be spread on the floor to create a place for children to settle down with a book. Teachers at Lolei have created a library schedule and shuttle the cabinet on wheels from one classroom to the next for students to enjoy.
Since the library has opened, many Lolei students opt to read a book or challenge themselves to a puzzle instead of play outside during breaks between classes.
The Lolei mobile library (double-doors on both sides to maximize storage space!):
 
Lolei students enjoy the library during a break between classes:
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On December 9-10, 2007, the Wat Mon Thyean school director, parents from the school's Parent Teacher Association, and SCC staff pooled their efforts to initiate construction of an SCC-funded kitchen at Wat Mon Thyean Primary School. Construction was completed in January; delays are attributed to conflicting priorities associated with the recent harvest season.
For several years now, the World Food Programme (WFP) has donated rice and canned fish to students at Wat Mon Thyean as a means for providing food security and increasing school enrollment. Seven kilograms of rice is cooked each morning and served to 65-70 students before the start of 7 am classes. A fire pit has existed on school grounds, but it went unused for two reasons:
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It was unprotected and therefore unusable in the rainy season
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There was no lighting at the school for the cook to be able to prepare the meal at 4am. Furthermore, because the school is located behind graves at the neighboring temple and the cook fears ghosts, she refused to enter school grounds without a source of light.
The newly built kitchen is constructed of wood, metal sheeting and bamboo, which was provided by the Wat Mon Thyean community. Inside, the fire pit has been expanded and long picnic-style tables have been built to provide students with a place to enjoy their meal or relax between classes. The kitchen is equipped with a battery-powered lamp that alleviates the cook's fears and provides her light to prepare daily meals.
The Wat Mon Thyean community is very proud of the new kitchen, and in fact, each time that SCC staff have visited the school since completion of the building, PTA leaders have been tweaking and making further improvements to the structure.
The Wat Mon Thyean community pitches in to build the school kitchen:
Jay, SCC Project Coordinator, outside the finished kitchen:
The kitchen's new and improved fire pits:
The Wat Mon Thyean cook serves breakfast to students before the start of school:
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Students at Lolei Primary School assisted SCC staff to fence off the school grounds today in an effort to keep tourists from wandering on campus, photographing them in class, and disrupting their education. The school stands within one hundred meters of the entrance to the 9th-century Lolei temple ruins, which attract hundreds of visitors each day. While some tourists enter the school grounds to use the toilets, the nearest facilities to the temple, others enter to get a glimpse of everyday Cambodian life. What tourists don't always realize is that their presence results in daily disruptions to students and teachers, making it difficult for them to focus on their lessons.
Because of its proximity to the temple ruins, the land on which Lolei school stands is subject to a Royal Decree which prohibits construction, even of a permanent fence, for the purpose of temple conservation. However, students, teachers, Apsara Authority (the body who governs protected temple areas) and SCC have agreed that a rope with no entry signs is the next best solution.
In addition to roping off the Lolei school grounds, SCC has taken other actions to address this unique problem. Discussions have been held with Managing Directors of various tour companies who have repeatedly parked their buses on school property and allowed guests to use the school toilets. Padlocks have been provided to the school director so that bathrooms can be locked. And, a proposal has been submitted to Apsara Authority to encourage the construction of appropriate toilet facilities nearby the temple entrance.
While we hope that these efforts result in a reduced number of disruptions for the students at Lolei, SCC recognizes the value of travelers visiting schools and learning about the education-related challenges in Cambodia. As a result, SCC has recently implemented scheduled school visits. The bi-weekly visits include a short presentation by SCC's General Manager and a tour of the school led by the school director. We hope that you will join us on your next visit to Siem Reap!
Tourists photograph Lolei students, interrupting their classes:
 
Students help SCC staff rope off the school to prevent tourists from disrupting their classes:
Lolei Primary School is roped off to tourists:
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On December 28, 2007, SCC organized the first monthly gathering for sponsored secondary school students. Twenty-five students across three secondary schools gathered in a shaded, grassy area at Wat Damnak, a local pagoda. Ice breakers brought smiles and laughter as students got to know each other. School rivalries sparked over tug-of-war challenges. Advice and encouragement was exchanged among students. Four awards were presented to pupils who demonstrated high academic standing or showed significant performance improvement in their November report cards. And, before heading off to their afternoon classes, students enjoyed a fried rice lunch with SCC staff and visiting SCC Trustees, Marc and Jacqui.
Monthly student meetings have been initiated as a means of encouraging friendship and networking among SCC sponsored students. They also serve to help students identify common school difficulties and overcome them together as a team, rather than individually.
Students face off in a game of tug-of-war:
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In downtown Siem Reap, just down the street from the Old Market, Colors of Cambodia features the work of Cambodia's up-and-coming artists....children! Started by Bill Gentry, an artist and business man, Colors of Cambodia seeks to share the wonder of art with underprivileged kids and help those with talent and dedication pursue art as a career goal.
Since October 2007, SCC has partnered with Colors of Cambodia to bring regular, extracurricular art classes to over 300 students across three SCC-supported schools: Svay Dungkum, Khnar and Phoum Stung. Colors of Cambodia art teacher, Seney, piles art supplies on his motorbike and heads out to an SCC school where he teaches 4th, 5th and 6th graders over the school lunch break. For the students, the classes provide enriching opportunities that they otherwise would not have.
As he teaches, Seney looks for students with natural talent and dedication. Eventually those students will be invited to participate in advanced classes at the Colors of Cambodia gallery. Advanced students have the opportunity to sell their work in the gallery. Revenues are used to support the students' education.
Support SCC students during your next trip to Siem Reap by dropping in the Colors of Cambodia art gallery!
Colors of Cambodia art teacher, Seney, monitors a classroom full of students at Svay Dungkum Primary School as they draw:
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For three years, the World Food Programme (WFP) has donated rice and canned fish to students at Phoum Stung Primary School as a means for providing food security and increasing school enrollment. Twenty-two kilograms of rice is cooked each morning and served to over 70 students before the start of 7am classes. Although fire pits had been built on school grounds, they were unprotected and as a result, were unusable in the rainy months of the year. During this season, the cooks, a young woman and her grandmother, prepared the rice at their home and then carted it 1 km to school. It was not uncommon for the food to arrive late, resulting in delayed classes.
To improve the efficiency of the feeding program and the timeliness of classes, SCC funded the construction of an enclosure around the fire pits. SCC funding covered the costs of metal sheeting, nails and wood, while the Phoum Stung Community contributed bamboo and labor. Finished in mid-December, the kitchen now provides a dry place for the cooks to provide better-timed meals to students.
Unprotected Phoum Stung fire pits: The Parent Teacher Association builds the kitchen:
 
The finished kitchen:
Phoum Stung students enjoy a morning meal before the start of classes:
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Imagine being asked by your teacher to write an exercise on the blackboard, but you can't reach the board! It's a common problem in first and second grade classrooms, as six and seven year-old Cambodian children tend to be quite small in size. To accommodate students, most classrooms have a concrete platform, about 30 cm in height, positioned at the front of the room under the blackboard. The platform also has cultural significance, keeping the teacher at a higher level than the students, as a means for commanding respect. Wat Mon Thyean Primary School's two classrooms never had platforms, and they were at the top of the school director's and PTA's lists for school improvements. In December 2007, SCC funded the materials to construct concrete platforms in each classroom. The Wat Mon Thyean community contributed labor.
The young Wat Mon Thyean students are thrilled that they can now reach the blackboards!
A student can barely reach the board: Two community members lay brick and concrete:
 
Students appreciate the finished platform:
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Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for thieves to target schools, especially schools that are equipped with resources unavailable elsewhere in the community. Most Cambodian schools have barred windows, not to keep kids from escaping the classrooms, but rather, as a security measure. Phoum Stung Primary School, however, lacked this minimum level of security. In November 2007, SCC supported the installation of metal bar window and door retrofits in a classroom doubling as the school director's office and library, providing the school with a place for the safe-keeping of teaching materials and resources. Since installation of the retrofits, the staff at Phoum Stung have started stocking the room with things of great value -- books!
 
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On the morning of November 29, 2007, over 60 parents and community members crowded behind wooden desks in a classroom at Wat Mon Thyean Primary School to participate in a meeting with school teachers and SCC staff. The school director opened the meeting, welcoming parents, grandparents and children alike, and then handed the podium to Jay, SCC Project Coordinator. Community members listened intently, cracking smiles at Jay's jokes as he reintroduced SCC's programs and the charity's involvement at Wat Mon Thyean school in an effort to promote awareness of free education. A discussion of upcoming SCC projects -- including the construction of a school kitchen -- followed, in which the community pledged to contribute labor and bamboo for the planned kitchen.
It's through community meetings, like this one at Wat Mon Thyean, that SCC is working to increase community participation at our supported schools.
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Only 5.4% of Cambodian villages have lower secondary schools [1], which means that students often have to travel far distances to get to school. Walking for kilometers is not optimal in Cambodia's seasonal heat and rain, so unless students have access to transportation, they are at-risk of dropping out of school. In November 2007, we identified two sponsored 7th grade students -- Kagna and Sokphanet -- who were without a reliable means to get to class and took action. Here are the stories of Kagna and Sokphanet:
Kagna
Kagna is a star student. She earned one of the top scores on her primary school final exam in July 2006. And, as of October 2007, she ranked third in her 7th grade class.
Life has not been easy for Kagna, though. She, her mother, and two of her four siblings are land-squatters on a small, flooded lot in Khnar Chas Village where they've constructed a stilted, grass hut. Kagna's mother runs a small shop out of their home, but her sales are irregular due to her chronic health problems. Kagna's parents have divorced and she no longer hears from her father.
Kagna's home is more than 4 km from her school. For the first several weeks of the 2007-08 school year, Kagna rode on the back of her friend's bicycle to and from class. However, her friend often finished school before Kagna, leaving her to walk home alone, sometimes after dark. It was not safe. Since we provided Kagna a bicycle, she can go to and from school safely, on her own schedule. Kagna is thankful for SCC's support and admits that without it, she probably wouldn't be in school.
Sokphanet
Sokphanet, age 17, is also in 7th grade. He's a diligent student. In fact, whenever we visit his home, we find him with his nose in a book!
Sokphanet lives with his mother and step-father in Svay Dungkum Village, near Siem Reap town. His family is landless; they are caretakers for another's property. Sokphanet's father is ill and unable to work, leaving Sokphanet's mother as the primary income-generator for the family. She earns an irregular $2.50 USD per day, selling food out of their home.
At the start of the 2007-08 school year, Sokphanet shared his cousin's bicycle to go to and from school. His cousin used the bicycle in the morning, and Sokphanet used the bike to get to his afternoon classes. Although the arrangement enabled Sokphanet to attend classes at school, it kept him from morning "private-time" sessions at this teachers' homes, where most subject matter is taught. As a means of providing Sokphanet access to a full education, SCC equipped him with a bicycle. Sokphanet is thankful for SCC's support and is determined to study hard to fulfill his dream of becoming an English guide for the Angkor temples near his home.
[1] UN Human Development Report Statistics - Cambodia (2000)
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