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Fall Newsletter
November 2007 |
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Dear Friends, Sponsors and Supporters:
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
We're celebrating our fifth anniversary! Many thanks to all of you - those who have been with us since the beginning in 2002 and those who have joined us in recent years. Our mission five years ago was to provide education and basic needs to the children in a financially responsible way that was sustainable over the long term. As your generous support has grown, so have our programs. We have 70 students currently in our English school program, five in our university program and 20 students studying computer at Kompong Speu Orphan Center.
Now - we are planning our most exciting project yet - a school designed specifically for the needs of the KS children. What an absolute thrill it was last year to visit our university children living on their own and studying hard for their bright futures. Please read Michelle and Elizabeth's story and our appeal for sponsors and donations.
On behalf of the Board and all of the children you support at Kompong Speu, we thank you again for your generosity and wish you and your family the best in this holiday season.
Scott Nichols
President, Cambodia Tomorrow | |
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ENGLISH SCHOOL PROJECT UPDATE
New School to Start Pilot Program
We have some exciting news as we begin our sixth year. Starting next month, we are launching a pilot program to evaluate operating an English language program at Kompong Speu Orphan Center. Half of the students will participate, studying English with a teacher selected by Cambodia Tomorrow and trained by the Australian Centre for Education (ACE). ACE is a wonderful non-profit that has assisted many organizations to recruit and train teachers, as well as develop curriculum. With ACE's help, we hope to provide better English language training, in smaller groups, with a greater emphasis on oral proficiency and creative use of language.
During this three-month trial period, classes will take place in the dance pavilion. We are very fortunate to have Board members Elizabeth Gullam and Michelle Moon in Cambodia this year in a volunteer capacity, along with our program manager, Ken, to closely monitor and evaluate the teacher, student participation and progress and the designed curriculum. The Board believes that funds should not be used to construct a building until we have a fully functioning and effective school. If the trial period goes as well as we hope, our Board will initiate a capital campaign to build a dedicated school building, with several classrooms, and additional space for the computer lab which is now being housed in Pol Sok Ly's office.
Short Course Support
We learned recently that the university candidate for this fall did not pass his high school graduation exam and therefore is ineligible for university this year. Michelle and Elizabeth wanted to find out why and set out to learn more about the government school system. Government school is free in Cambodia, but students who wish to succeed and pass their exams are urged to pay for additional tutoring, called the "short course", for as many as four additional hours per day throughout the high school years. It seems that three of our university students were paying for this tutoring out of the pocket money we provide each month for snacks. Once we became aware of the situation, the Board approved funding for three hours per day for all the high school seniors and the student who didn't qualify this year. The Board also decided to keep sponsorship at $340 per year and use general funds to pay for the short course. All of our seniors now benefit from this additional tutoring. |
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SEEKING SPONSORS and DONATIONS
Elizabeth Gullam and Michelle Moon
Michelle and I have known the five young men, whom we call the University boys, for several years. We first met four of them while they will still in high school, living at Kampong Speu Orphan Center. When they graduated, our fellow Board member Catherine MacNeal found a couple of generous sponsors who covered the cost of their living and college expenses here in Phnom Penh. Fast forward to the present we are very pleased that the initial group is in their third year of college, a couple of others in their second year of college.
On our February trip to Phnom Penh, Michelle met with the Dean at the University, confirming that the "boys" are keeping up both their attendance and grades. During this trip, we've learned a lot more about the Cambodian school system and are even more impressed with the determination and self-motivation that has gotten them this far.
Now, here's where you come in:
Sponsorship ($1,000/yr) -- We are currently seeking sponsors for two students: Prum Rim and Chhiev Kim Hak.
Prum Rim - Rim is a familiar figure to many of Cambodia Tomorrow's supporters. He hadn't attended school at all before being orphaned and arriving at Kampong Speu Orphan Center. He thrived in government and English school, and was one of the students who initially approached Cambodia Tomorrow about establishing the University Program. Now in his third year of college, he is bright and outgoing, studying English to become a teacher.
Chhiev Kim Hak - Kim Hak is new to the Cambodia Tomorrow University Program. One of six siblings who lived with their grandmother after being orphaned, Kim Hak joined the program this year. His course of study is Management, which includes classes in Accounting, Business and various other topics. He is unfailingly polite and incredibly appreciative of assistance, anxious to improve his English and computer skills.
The modest annual sponsorship of $1,000 for each student covers living expenses, tuition, books/supplies and can be paid in installments.
Donations - After spending time living in Cambodia and visiting with the University boys, we have realized that there are several areas which require additional support. We recently received the funds to install and power both a water cooler and refrigerator, neither of which is customary in Cambodian homes. One of the great benefits of the water cooler is the weekly delivery of large, recycled/recyclable jugs, a great alternative to non-potable tap water or caseloads of bottled water. (Thanks to Darren, Lavena, Tom & Kiric!)
We are currently seeking donations to cover:
English Lessons ($300/student per year) - The current Cambodia Tomorrow University Program covers English tutoring, meeting the basic requirement. Michelle has spent time working with the Australian Education Center (ACE), who will be assisting with our teaching staff at Kampong Speu. ACE also offers high-quality English lessons here in Phnom Penh, with teaching staff certified to international standards. English lessons at ACE for the University students would be invaluable as they complete their studies and move on to find jobs.
Donations for the boys' apartment furnishings will replenish the University Program fund:
· Beds (2 at $40/each) - Wooden platform bed
· Desks (2 at $40/each) - Wooden two-drawer desk
· Bookcases (5 for $45) - Woven wood 5-shelf bookcase
· Kitchen Table & Chairs ($37 for set) - Metal kitchen table and 6 plastic chairs
· Fans (2 at $20/each) - Tall oscillating floor fan
Donations can be made by check payable to Cambodia Tomorrow, mailed to: 1515 Madrona Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122 or via PayPal at:
donations@cambodiatomorrow.org or on our website, www.cambodiatomorrow.org. (Please mark donations UNIVERSITY PROGRAM) |
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THE CAMBODIAN ADVENTURE CONTINUES!
Michelle Moon
Recently we had the University boys over for dinner to our apartment here in Phnom Penh. It was quite an experience.
We told them we would prepare American food, so we had mashed potatoes and gravy, chicken, pork chops, green salad and zucchini. They looked at the salad and asked what everything was. It had lettuce, carrots, red cabbage, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. We showed them the salad dressings, Italian and Blue Cheese Ranch, which they decided to mix together. They ate the salad one piece at a time and looked at it well, like I probably looked at the tarantulas I ate one night.
Elizabeth did make rice, just to be sure we had one thing they would eat. They tried everything and seemed to enjoy it, although it is hard to explain to someone what BBQ sauce is or salad dressing. Later we realized that Cambodians serve their food already seasoned. We did not season most of our dishes, so they could choose what they wanted to put on it and they were just eating it plain. We did season the pork with Humboldt County's famous Ted & Barney's Meat Seasoning and they finished it off. For dessert, we made Ice Cream Sundaes with bananas, with chocolate and caramel syrup. They definitely loved those! I realized at some point that not only do we have cultural differences, but also economic ones. Their weekly food budget is modest, so they would rarely buy "western" vegetables for a salad or ice cream. We decided that next time we'll prepare spaghetti for them. They really are a good group of guys! |
ROOM TO READ
Elizabeth Gullam
Since arriving in Cambodia in August, I've visited Kampong Speu Orphan Center several times with Ken, our Program Manager. One particularly fun occasion was our trip to deliver a donation of English-language children's books from Room to Read.
Ken had done a great job writing and submitting a grant for books to build the library at Kampong Speu. We visited the Room to Read office in Phnom Penh and chose 100 books from a huge selection. The books ranged from basic board books for the littlest kids to teen novels.
When we arrived at the orphanage with the books, the children were thrilled. I sat down with the kids to read a couple of stories. OK, all you parents out there anybody familiar with The Magic School Bus series? When faced with a pile of 100 books, I had simply grabbed a familiar cover. This one was See Stars: a description of the universe, including how stars are formed when gasses compress. Not the best choice for a group of kids ranging in age from 5 to 16 years old, with a broad range of English comprehension. I bailed part way through and resorted to a simple rhyming book about a bee that sits on a duck that sits on -- you get the flow. After I finished, two of the students came up to the front and read. They needed a little help with cluck, quack and oink, but did well otherwise.
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HEP B IMMUNIZATIONS
Cambodia Tomorrow is funding immunizations for all 77 children to protect them Hepatitis B, one of the leading causes of death and disability for children in Cambodia. The $34 per child cost of the testing and the series of three innoculations is expensive by Cambodian standards, so the government does not provide this very important basic need. The Sharing Foundation alerted us to this issue and is carrying out all of the testing and innoculations as a part of its project to immunize the children they serve. We are grateful to TSF for providing this basic need and we were happy to fund it at KS. | |
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Think you can't change another person's life? Think again! Contributing to Cambodia Tomorrow will DIRECTLY impact the lives of the children at Kompong Speu Orphan Center in Cambodia. Either through sponsorship or donations to our general fund, you can make an orphan child's dreams -- from a university education to a good book to read -- a reality.
Help a Child Today! |
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