I recently visited Cambodia on behalf of the Hope is Life Foundation with Debbie, my wife and our youngest daughter, Natascha. Our aim was to visit many orphanages and community centers and see how we can work with them to improve the educational standard of Cambodian children in remote villages. It was a very productive trip and we were able to initiate a few projects.
In order to facilitate social transformation of communities, suffered after years of war and to assist poor children in their education and heath programs, Hope is Life Foundation has initiated a project, among others to build several community learning centers in remote villages in Cambodia. Our Foundation will be collaborating with Cambodian Organization for Research and Development (CORDE) to build learning centers to help children, families and society transform through literacy and empowerment, moral development and health programs. These Centers invite the youth and adult population to deepen their literacy ability and increase their power to express themselves and take social action to improve the standard of living.
Currently, Hope is Life Foundation (www.hopeislife.org) looking for sponsors to build a new center in Kampong Seyma village, about 7 km from Battambang town in Cambodia. This area has about 317 families. This Center will serve at least 200 children, junior youths and youths in the village, offering informal education to supplement formal school education. For many who have dropped out of school due to poverty, this will be their only opportunity for continued education.
The land to build the next learning center (above) has been donated by a farmer and now waiting for funds to build a center similar to the one shown below
Classes are often held under large trees in remote villages
After enduring nearly three decades of brutal warfare and the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia still remains one of the poorest countries in the world. During Khmer Rouge’s rule, it was estimated nearly two million Cambodians died of starvation, torture or execution. Two million Cambodians represented approximately 30% of the Cambodian population during that time.
Today, of Cambodia's estimated 14 million people, nearly 42% live on less than 50 U.S. cents a day. Another 30% of the population is only earning marginally more than that. Infant, child, and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in Asia. Low spending on education perpetuates poverty, as children of poor families are forced to drop out of school – making it harder for them to access opportunities as adults. Those who cannot afford these fees, such as the 10,000 to 20,000 children living on the streets of Phnom Penh, do not go to school.
Although the Kingdom of Cambodia is rich in natural resources, decades of war and internal conflict have left it one of the world’s poorest countries. The legacy of strife includes social and economic scars. Many millions of land mines were sowed throughout the countryside, where millions of them still lie, hidden and unexploded.
Two thirds of the country’s 1.6 million rural households face seasonal food shortages each year. Rice alone accounts for as much as 30% of household expenditures. Rural people are constantly looking for work or other income-generating activities, which are mainly temporary and poorly paid. Cambodia’s poorest people are isolated. They live in remote villages, far from basic social services and facilities.
Many have to travel more than 5 km to reach a health clinic, and still others live more than 5 km from the nearest road.
Responding to the devastation of Cambodia after years of war, Cambodian Organization for Research and Development (CORDE) has been working in Cambodia for many years with the mission to facilitate the transformation of communities through the education of individuals. It has been a challenge to bring poor Cambodians back from such a tragic upheaval of their nation and the complete disintegration of the family as an institution where love and trust died under brutal oppression, and a whole generation grew up with no understanding of what it means to have a loving family.
According to CORDE, the only way is social transformation through education - to rebuild the foundation of families and community relations on which a nation can be built. And the only way to build up education in the country was to help people learn to do it and sustain it themselves.
Recent graduates from one of the learning centers and their family members
For many who have dropped out of school due to poverty, this will be their only opportunity for continued education. Many of the families have lost their land to individual loan sharks or banks because they are unable to repay their loans. The other major problem here is there is little irrigation and so the farmers are totally dependent on the rainfall. Most of the farmers are ignorant about the proper utilization of fertilizers, and as a result yield is low.
The cost of each center, including purchasing of books and educational materials and operational cost for the first year is US$7,000. Donations earmarked “Learning Centers-Cambodia” can be sent to Hope is Life Foundation, P.O. Box 261, Fairport, New York, 14450, U.S.A. (www.hopeislife.org)
The Centre of Learning can be built in memory of a loved one and special dedication can be made in their memory.
If you are interested, we can provide additional information on building plans. Send e-mail inquiries to nyogachandra@yahoo.com
In order to facilitate social transformation of communities, suffered after years of war and to assist poor children in their education and heath programs, Hope is Life Foundation has initiated a project, among others to build several community learning centers in remote villages in Cambodia. Our Foundation will be collaborating with Cambodian Organization for Research and Development (CORDE) to build learning centers to help children, families and society transform through literacy and empowerment, moral development and health programs. These Centers invite the youth and adult population to deepen their literacy ability and increase their power to express themselves and take social action to improve the standard of living.
Currently, Hope is Life Foundation (www.hopeislife.org) looking for sponsors to build a new center in Kampong Seyma village, about 7 km from Battambang town in Cambodia. This area has about 317 families. This Center will serve at least 200 children, junior youths and youths in the village, offering informal education to supplement formal school education. For many who have dropped out of school due to poverty, this will be their only opportunity for continued education.
The land to build the next learning center (above) has been donated by a farmer and now waiting for funds to build a center similar to the one shown below
Classes are often held under large trees in remote villagesAfter enduring nearly three decades of brutal warfare and the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia still remains one of the poorest countries in the world. During Khmer Rouge’s rule, it was estimated nearly two million Cambodians died of starvation, torture or execution. Two million Cambodians represented approximately 30% of the Cambodian population during that time.
Today, of Cambodia's estimated 14 million people, nearly 42% live on less than 50 U.S. cents a day. Another 30% of the population is only earning marginally more than that. Infant, child, and maternal mortality rates are among the highest in Asia. Low spending on education perpetuates poverty, as children of poor families are forced to drop out of school – making it harder for them to access opportunities as adults. Those who cannot afford these fees, such as the 10,000 to 20,000 children living on the streets of Phnom Penh, do not go to school.
Although the Kingdom of Cambodia is rich in natural resources, decades of war and internal conflict have left it one of the world’s poorest countries. The legacy of strife includes social and economic scars. Many millions of land mines were sowed throughout the countryside, where millions of them still lie, hidden and unexploded.
Two thirds of the country’s 1.6 million rural households face seasonal food shortages each year. Rice alone accounts for as much as 30% of household expenditures. Rural people are constantly looking for work or other income-generating activities, which are mainly temporary and poorly paid. Cambodia’s poorest people are isolated. They live in remote villages, far from basic social services and facilities.
Many have to travel more than 5 km to reach a health clinic, and still others live more than 5 km from the nearest road.
Responding to the devastation of Cambodia after years of war, Cambodian Organization for Research and Development (CORDE) has been working in Cambodia for many years with the mission to facilitate the transformation of communities through the education of individuals. It has been a challenge to bring poor Cambodians back from such a tragic upheaval of their nation and the complete disintegration of the family as an institution where love and trust died under brutal oppression, and a whole generation grew up with no understanding of what it means to have a loving family.
According to CORDE, the only way is social transformation through education - to rebuild the foundation of families and community relations on which a nation can be built. And the only way to build up education in the country was to help people learn to do it and sustain it themselves.
Recent graduates from one of the learning centers and their family membersFor many who have dropped out of school due to poverty, this will be their only opportunity for continued education. Many of the families have lost their land to individual loan sharks or banks because they are unable to repay their loans. The other major problem here is there is little irrigation and so the farmers are totally dependent on the rainfall. Most of the farmers are ignorant about the proper utilization of fertilizers, and as a result yield is low.
The cost of each center, including purchasing of books and educational materials and operational cost for the first year is US$7,000. Donations earmarked “Learning Centers-Cambodia” can be sent to Hope is Life Foundation, P.O. Box 261, Fairport, New York, 14450, U.S.A. (www.hopeislife.org)
The Centre of Learning can be built in memory of a loved one and special dedication can be made in their memory.
If you are interested, we can provide additional information on building plans. Send e-mail inquiries to nyogachandra@yahoo.com
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