Rural Education in Cambodia: Believe in Me

This school year the Cambodian Education Department changed the school year schedule. While our last full month of school used to be October, we ended this year at the beginning of August after our students took their examinations. As you will see from the photos this month, there was a lot of learning and studying for the exams. Students spent extra time in groups and with their teachers during free periods. Our teachers also designed special review lessons for the students to increase their skills and memory of content they studied earlier in the school year.

We are pleased with the results of the exam, and excited to use the data to formulate teaching strategies that will fuel further growth and achievement.

We are so grateful our teachers had this productive time to work together as grade levels from both schools to sharpen their teaching skills. Our teachers are grateful as well, stating that “Now, our school…is loved by all the students and their parents, and has become one of the Child Friendly Schools.” Our Cambodia School Director stated that, “They (teachers) found a lot of help this year to make all teachers strengthened and confident in providing and sharing knowledge to their kids.

A parent meeting was also held and the head of Poipet’s Education Department and other local community leaders attended the gathering. Our students were honored for their achievements and also presented traditional songs and dances. The Education Department complimented and thanked Love Without Boundaries for our support in providing for the education of students who may not have otherwise been able to attend school. We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to share in such a proud moment for our students, their parents and the greater Poipet area community leaders.

We are proud of each and every one of our staff at the Believe in Me schools. The work they do every day matters to every child and parent that belongs to our school family and so do each of YOU! Thank you, from the bottom of our LWB hearts, for the lifesaving gift of education that you are providing for our students each and every day at our BIM schools.

Links:

• Love Without Boundaries Website
• LWB Education Programs
• LWB Cambodia Programs

Welcome back to BIM Sokhem school. June was a rather soggy month for our students, but apparently the real rainy season when rice is planted has not yet arrived.

Each one of our teachers and staff members is integral in creating the oasis of love, health and learning of our BIM schools. Did you know that our prior BIM students are now teaching in our schools while they attend University courses on the weekends? We are so blessed to have these talented young men and women as teachers. Each and every day they arrive at school to teach our students. That may not seem like an amazing feat to you, but many students who attend the public schools are not able to attend on a daily basis as their teachers often have more than one job and they are absent frequently. In recent comparisons of monthly exam scores, our BIM students are often times learning more than their public-school peers. We are so proud of our team in Cambodia.

Another wonderful component is our food program. Each school day begins at 7:00 AM with a healthy porridge breakfast, followed by a well-balanced lunch that includes meat, vegetables and rice. The students sit together by class at long picnic tables.

Teacher serve each student’s first serving while the remainder of the food stays at the table for any children who would like more to eat. After the students have eaten their fill, they take their own plates and silverware to the washing station, scrape the plate and hand it to the staff washing the dishes, with a heartfelt thank you, arkoun chraen. Aside from breakfast and lunch, some of our most vulnerable students, are able to return to school in the evening for a third meal. We are extremely grateful to our supporters who make all of this possible. Our students are fed, loved, and are receiving an education which they would not otherwise have accessed.

The BIM teachers are so proud of their students’ accomplishments that they honor their hard work by rewarding the top five students from each grade level. These students are proud of their efforts and so is our headteacher! Each of our students from the youngest to the oldest is working hard each day. Their little voices ring out proudly during their lessons, through the open windows and doors.

The school day draws to a close at 4:00 each afternoon. The students help clean their classrooms, and pack up their homework. Even though the day is done, the learning continues as several top students are prepared to meet with struggling students in their village to reinforce the learning of the day and answer any questions they may have on homework. What a wonderful gift education is for each and every one of them. Thank you so very much for your generosity towards our students. You are truly changing their lives.

Links:

• Love Without Boundaries Website
• LWB Cambodia Programs
• LWB Education Programs