Support Education in Rural Cambodia
In rural Cambodia, hundreds of villages still lack a functional primary and secondary school. Our Rural Schools Project has led the effort to construct more than 550 primary and secondary schools to help promote education in rural Cambodia. After the completion of construction, donors can sponsor added-value improvements to strengthen student life and education at their schools such as: English language and computer skills training, Internet, solar power to provide electricity to schools, access to clean water, vegetable gardens and libraries, to strengthen student education at their schools.
There are many ways to support the Rural Schools Project.
Build a School and Put Your Name On It!
You can build a rural school in one the poorest areas of Cambodia. We work in partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Education in building schools in poor, remote villages all over Cambodia. After the completion of a school building, the Ministry of Education send licensed teachers to teach the compulsory national curriculum at the school. Enrollment is open to the public and free of charge.
You may build an entire school building and put your name on it or build a classroom and name the classroom.You may also send a donation of any amount towards the construction of schools and we will combine it with other donations to build a rural school.
The cost today to build a new three-room school is $50,000 and a five-room school building costs $80,000.The cost includes all classroom furniture and blackboards. The cost to build an additional classroom is $18,000 and may be named after the donor or a name the donor chooses.
Since the matching funds provided by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank are no longer available for new school construction, we are now building new schools at full cost.
We currently have a few available schools that we built with co-financed funds that we can assign to a donor who wishes reimburse the cost of construction and and name it. The cost for such a school is $15,000.
The locations where we build our school sare determined by the needs of the country at the time. Factors such as distances between schools and population of children in an area needing a school are analyzed with data collected by the Ministry of Education during their annual survey.We make our decisions about future locations of our schools based on this information.
Our schools are built on land donated by the villages or are added to existing school sites. School construction can take three to eight months depending on weather conditions. Once the school is completed, it is given to the village and classes begin immediately. All of our schools are recognized by the Cambodian government as state schools and are staffed by official state teachers who teach the curriculum set by the Ministry of Education and are sustainable on their own without further funding. Since 1999 we have built more than 550 rural schools all over Cambodia and all still continue to serve their communities as schools.
After a school is completed, we encourage donors to enhance their schools. Our schools are situated in remote poverty-stricken areas that lack resources for additional learning material.By adding enhancements such as English/computer training program, donations of additional selected books and vegetable gardens a school can provide so much more to its students.
Adopt an Existing School
You may also adopt an existing school that was built by another donor and enhance it.We have more than 200 schools that are running as regular state schools without enhancements. You may add programs such as English computer/training, a vegetable garden, sponsor girls who are unable to attend school to attend school through our Girls Be Ambitious program and provide support to academically talented students through our Bright Future Kids program. An adopted school will have brass plaque placed on the school building indicating the name of the donor who is supporting the programs.Supporters of school program scan interact with the students and teachers through e-mails and digital photo exchanges and visit their school.
Enhance a School with English and Computer Training
Our project seeks to allow rural Cambodian students to leapfrog ahead by giving them access to computers, the Internet and teaching them English. Our English and computer training program provides daily instruction to the students in our rural schools.
Through this program, village children can learn how to use computers, learn basic English and learn how to use the Internet,making it possible for them to communicate with their sponsors through e-mail.
To set up an English and computer program at a rural school, the following items are added:
Solar Panels
Solar panels are installed on the roof of the school to provide electricity to run computers. The minimum number of solar panels added to a school is three panels. Three panels provide power for a desktop computer.
Desktop Computers
Desktop computers with Khmer-language keyboard and browser assembled in Cambodia are added for students to learn how to type, create documents on a computer, send and receive e-mails and browse the Internet. Most of the villages are reached by the electricity grid may be installed to provide sufficient electricity to meet the power requirements for the number of computers.
Internet Access
There are two ways to provide Internet access to our rural schools:
Method 1: A GPRS system connects to the Internet by linking to a mobile data system. An adapter is attached to one of the computers connects that computer to the Internet.
Method 2: A OPTIC FTTH (ADSL) allows access to the Internet by multiple computers.
English/computer teacher
A full-time English/computer teacher trained by our organization is assigned to teach English and computer skills. The teacher works independently from the Ministry of Education and is under the supervision of our organization. Our teachers teach the English/computer classes, monitor all program run by our organization and promptly report progress and any problems to our head office.
All of our teachers are Cambodian citizens who possess English and computer skills and who have a desire to improve learning opportunities for the rural poor. Some of our teachers are orphans who were trained in English and computer skills at the A New Life Orphanage and Future Light Orphanage. Some are graduates from Cambodian universities. Our teachers receive on-going training while on the job to upgrade their skills.
When a new teacher is recruited, he (or she) receives training from our organization and after completing the training, is sent to teach at one of our rural schools. The teacher lives with a family in the village during his or her assignment at the school.
After a school is set up with an English/computer program, further enhancements can be added such as a Victory vegetable garden program, a licensed school nurse, participation of girls in the Girls Be Ambitious program and recruitment for academic scholarships in our Bright Future Kids Program.
Victory Vegetable Garden
The Victory Vegetable Garden is set up on the grounds of the school under the supervision of our agricultural expert. The set up of the garden usually takes about 2 weeks to one month depending on the weather. The soil and climate is analyzed to determine the types of crops that will thrive. If the soil is infertile, fertile soil is brought in to fill the land. The garden is maintained throughout the year by the students and teachers. Students who are able to volunteer are asked to help tend the garden. By working in the garden students are able to learn how to grow different types of crops. Student volunteers are recognized at the end of the school year and receive a certificate of service learning. The primal set-up of $3000 will cover on preparing the soil with fertilizer, seeds, planting the crops, garden tools etc… From the second year, if donor wishes to continue the garden, they need to support the cost of operation cost of $1,000 which covers gas for pumping machine or electricity fee, seeds, fertilizers.
In additional if the water sources unavailable to supply the garden, it may be necessary to drill a water well and the cost will be based on the area where the school is.
School Nurse
A licensed school nurse recruited from a local clinic promotes health education and gives students regular health check-ups. These features contribute to reduced student malnutrition, increased attentiveness and raised attendance.
Library
You may build a stand-alone library filled with selected Khmer-language books that include fiction, non-fiction and reference books. Our libraries are equipped with bookshelves, large tables and chairs where students can enjoy reading in a quiet, comfortable environment during their free time. The English/computer teacher manages the library.
The library can be named after the donor or a name the donor chooses.
