Rural Education in Cambodia: Believe in Me

While the arrival of Summer often means graduations and summer vacations for many students around the world, our Believe In Me Students were hard at work completing their second semester.  August was the final month of school and an exciting time of year to acknowledge all of the hard work our Believe In Me students have put in.  Whether it was feeling good about learning Khmer letters or “graduating” and moving on to middle school, all of our students radiated joy and happiness about school and wrapping up the school year.   Many of our graduating students expressed appreciation for what they have learned and the friendships they made, while at the school. 

August did not see the students slacking off, at all.  Everyone focused on reviewing material for their exams and doing well on those exams.  Many students were determined to achieve and their dedication to learning really paid off with excellent exam scores.

Students continue to work hard mastering letters and word recognition on the computer. They are also learning how to navigate through programs and how to complete tasks.  Everyone enjoys the opportunity to learn how to use computers.

In Art, students were introduced to a challenging and yet fun activity, how to engrave words.  The art classes have never done anything like this before.  Despite its difficulty, all the students worked hard and were able to produce results they were very happy with.

The Love Kitchen is an important part of each students’ day.  This last quarter the students sang praises for the chef’s water lily soup, carrot and pork soup and a flavorful vegetable soup.  Water lily is similar in taste to an earthy barley with white or black pepper.  Like lotus, it is a great anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer food that is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.   Many students have mentioned, when the school goes on break, they will miss the delicious food from the Love Kitchen.

The library is always busy. Students often come to read storybooks and textbooks. They are all really happy to have the opportunity to read books.   We will see a group of students in the library reading books out loud together or a group of students and their teacher reading a storybook outside the classroom. The library is a lively place, full of excitement for learning and reading.  Some of our students have mentioned that they will really miss this library during their school break.

Student Spotlight:Third Grader, Ronnie

This quarter, Ronnie has shown notable progress in all of her academic subjects. In previous months, Ronnie struggled with math and reading; she has made significant improvement over the last quarter.   Ronnie has worked hard to overcome these challenges and her dedication is paying off.  Ronnie reads more fluidly and with greater confidence.  Ronnie has expressed her happiness about the progress she has made.  Ronnie’s calculation skills, addition and subtraction with three-digit numbers and learning multiplication and division have also vastly improved.   Ronnie’s goal of being well-prepared for the new school year and being able to study in a general class, alongside other students, is well within reach.

According to her teacher, Ronnie is a good student who always respects classroom rules and does not disturb her classmates. During her free time, Ronnie enjoys playing skip-rope with her friends. Ronnie says it is her favorite game and she plays it every chance she gets.

As we look forward to the new school year beginning in the second week of September, We just wanted to take a moment to thank you so very much for your continued support of our Believe In Me Rangsei students.  Your genuine concern and generosity for our students provides opportunities that would otherwise have been out of their reach.  We look forward to sharing more with you in the 2024-25 school year!