The first day of the trip, we visited Cham Chao and the Future Hope School. As soon as we arrived Ken, our in-country coordinator, had the children show-off what they have learned in school. They sang their ABCs, counted to 20, named all their body parts in English and sang a few traditional children’s songs in Khmer. It was just precious.

The children then showed us the school, sitting at their seats as though it were a regular school day. The school is decorated with bright colored streamers and teaching aids. We spent time reading to the children in English. Even the children with developmental delays participated in story time.

We went back to visit the school during the week when class was in session and were very impressed with the level of activity and the skills of the teachers. The preschool is vastly better than traditional Cambodian schools where everything is taught by rote memorization. For example, each child has the opportunity to act as teacher after Mr. Sry reviews the lesson on the board. They also have opportunities to practice conversations in English. The children would take turns greeting another child and ask questions such as: “What is your name?” “How old are you?” and so on.

The afternoon class in Khmer is equally impressive. The class begins with singing traditional Khmer children’s songs. Ms. Long is very animated and applauds every achievement of the children. She is already teaching the children basic addition to ten using a multi-media approach.

Visiting the school renewed our commitment to keeping the school open, despite the fact that Cham Chao is closing and we need to find a new location. Future Hope School holds so many wonderful resources, especially our teachers. The need for education in Cambodia is so great that we hope this school will bring hope to a new group of Cambodian children.

We are talking with various organizations to determine where we will move the Future Hope School. There are many factors to consider in moving the school, and we hope to have a plan within the next two months. We also hope all of our dedicated sponsors will continue to support our efforts to provide better educational opportunites to the children of Cambodia.

We were able to see Dr. Moniboth while at the orphanage and he clearly demonstrated his devotion to these children. He showed us his examination area and we had the opportunity to discuss specific childrens' needs.

One of the little boys at the orphanage -- Tola -- was burned on his chest and hands last year. Kathleen was fortunate to be able to accompany Tola, his nanny, and Phally to the National Rehabilitation Hospital (operated by Rose Charities) for corrective surgery on his left hand. She returned to the hospital later in the day and spent time with Tola and Mao (his nanny) in the recovery room. Tola’s recovery from this second surgery has been a little more difficult, but we are happy to report that he is now doing much better.

We know that many of you have been anxious to learn what is happening with the sale of the Cham Chao orphanage. The facility will not close for another few months and, to date, there have not been any buyers. Many of the children will be adopted by families in Italy, which still allows adoptions from Cambodia. Two of the children will be adopted by the nannies. While in Cambodia, we assisted with identifying options for the remaining children’s future placement.

Our staff in Cambodia will continue to work with Naly and others to try to ensure that the children are placed in the most appropriate setting based on their needs.

We arrived at Kompong Speu Orphan Center on Sunday, February 12th, in the afternoon. We were warmly greeted by all the children and the director, Pol Sok Ly. We were seated in the main hall and treated to over an hour of traditional Cambodian dancing. The dancing was remarkable. The children have reached a very high level of skill and are clearly dedicated to their craft. The costumes were stunning also. The older boys are excellent musicians who accompany the dancers. Most of the children participate in the music/dance program, funded by another NGO, with the exception of the toddlers and a few others. The dance teacher was also there, as were our staff, Ken and Phally.

We brought apples and drinks for the younger children and they sat while several older children introduced themselves – Srouch, Kosal and Veth all spoke to us using their English language skills they have learned through our program. Neth, Rotha and Pheary were some of the girls with enough English to communicate with us. We also handed out letters and gifts from sponsors. Many sponsor graciously sent gifts for their child and we were able to buy additional gifts so each child received a t-shirt.

We made four visits to KS and each time, the children were happy, well cared for, eager to see us and busy with their activities. It was wonderful to see the impact that our sponsorship program and basic needs donations have had on these delightful children.

We went to see Newtown School in session on Wednesday morning and observed several classes. All of the sponsored children were there in their uniforms. The more advanced students study English in the evening, but many of them were at Newtown during our visit to work on the computers. They work in English and Khmer, using Word, Excel and Photoshop.

The classes are held in small classrooms with 25-35 children per class. They learn by repetition, reciting the lesson many times. In the most advanced class we observed, there was more writing and a smaller, brighter classroom. Litor, Pheary, Srey and Pheareak attend the advanced class. Several children will be moving up to this level soon.

The KS kids ride a van to and from the school – it’s about 3 km. Some of the children also use the bicycles we have provided to get to Newtown School and the government

University Students:

We visited Rim, Vanndeth, and Neardey in their house on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. The house is small and far from the city, however, it is close to Ken's house. This is first year that the boys are out on their own, we felt that it would be better to keep an eye on them. If they do well on their exams and continue to go to University, we will move them closer to school. The boys share the house with Chamroeun who is studying automotive repair.

The school that they attend is NUM (National University of Management), directly across from Raffles Hotel Le Royal, with lots of students and lots of activity.

We looked at their textbooks (the English ones). They are studying quite advanced English, but their spoken English is still basic once we get past the initial greetings. One of the benefits of being in the city would be an opportunity to speak English and mingle with other students.

The students have asked for a computer and printer, as well as money for uniforms. They also said they would like to continue their English study, separate from University. We hope to be able to provide a computer and sponsor their English classes.

What’s Next?

Many of the children who live at KS have the potential to attend university. We are currently evaluating the possibility of expanding our University Program so we can offer the opportunity of post- secondary education for all the children living at Kompong Speu Orphan Center.

In addition to the rice and food we provide through Basic Needs each month, Pol Sok Ly made the following specific requests from us:

• School bags
• Five Bicycles
• Funds for the New Year celebration in April
• Funding for one field trip per year
• Dance costumes
• Computer for admin and children's use

Thanks to all of you and our successful fundraising campaign, we anticipate being able to make this Wish List a reality.

email: melacurt@cambodiatomorrow.org

phone: (206) 322-3061

web: http://cambodiatomorrow.org