The Cambodia Rural School Project
The Phakdei Nippon
Foundation School
Mr. Khao Holy is the deputy director of the Phakdei Nippon Foundation School.
He is 37 years old and teaches the fourth grade.
I have two children, but right now my daughter is the only one studying at the new building. My wife is a farmer and makes ten sacks of rice a year. Apart from farming rice, my wife and I rear cows and chickens. We rear them to sell so that my family can get enough money. Our house is about 500 meters from the new school.
The previous building was built in 1993, and since then it has been repaired twice. It was a simple three-room building made of wood and covered with a thatched roof, but without walls. Therefore, even though it was repaired in 1997 and the old rotten thatch was replaced with tin roof, the skeleton building was never able to keep the rain from splashing into the classroom. On windy days I also had to cancel classes, because the wind would make the rickety building lean to one side and there was a fear that the building would collapse.
Ever since the new school building was donated, I feel great. I consider this school as the biggest treasure this village has ever received. Other people in this village as well as those in nearby areas are also very pleased to have this new building. They said they now encourage their children to go to school every day.
