The Cambodia Rural School Project
The Aeon Delonix School
(August, 2001)
Mr. Ly Luy is a 71-year-old rice farmer who lives near the Aeon Delonix School. He has six children and five grandchildren. One of his granddaughters is at the school, in first grade.
In Their Own Words. . .
| On the new building: | “The new building is a great opportunity for the children of the villagers. The building is good; I have never seen a concrete building before, so when they were making it, it was a big surprise.”
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| On the Pol Pot Time: | “At the beginning of the Pol Pot time, I was living in Siem Reap. I was told to move here when they came to the city. They destroyed another school that was near here when they came, and we have not had a permanent school since then.”
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| On the future of his grandchildren: | “I want my grandchildren to become teachers because teachers are what we need to help the villagers become less ignorant and better educated.”
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| On his education: | “I was a monk for several years; I never went to school. It is better for children now to go to school than to spend time in a Wat.” [Historically, Wat, or Buddhist pagodas, served to educate young men. Boys whose families could afford it would become monks for several years, learning mathematics, history, and writing in addition to Buddhist theology and religious practices.] |
