A Land of Contrasts
Cambodia is a land of contrasts. While the remains of its glorious ancient civilization still shine today, the legacies of its tragic recent history of war and genocide stifle the country’s efforts to catch up with other nations in the region.
Angkor Wat
Despite rapid economic growth in the past decade, the fruits of the growth do not seem to have reached the countryside, and Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries on earth.
Long Distance and High Drop-out Rate
Because of poverty, many children drop out of the school system and tend to stay in an impoverished state. Even though enrolment at the primary school level has improved significantly to about 95%, the rate at the lower secondary level drops to about 34%
and just 19% at the upper secondary level.
One of the main problems is the long distance from home to secondary school. Though many villages have their own primary schools, secondary schools tend to be far away. The lack of proper transportation such as school buses to schools that may be more than
20 km away makes a daily commute quite difficult or even impossible.
Long
distance from home to school is a huge challenge for many rural students
Poor and Unsafe Living Environment
A few lucky students can afford to rent a decent room near the school or stay at relatives' houses. The less lucky live in so-called "dormitories," which in fact are nothing but shacks made from bamboo and palm tree leaves. They don't have proper roofing,
so when the rain falls, water flows right down through holes onto floor and walls, making students' life difficult and miserable.
Moreover, these places usually have no electricity or proper kitchen. Students cook their meals on their own, basically on wood or charcoal stoves on dirt floors inside the dormitory.
Because there is no electricity in the dormitories, students have to rely on small oil lamps to study at night. And night is the most difficult time for most of the students because there is no security system. Girls, who account for a large percentage of
dormitory residents, feel especially unsafe and scared during the dark because their sleeping space is essentially open to outsiders.
An Overlooked Issue?
Even though thousands of new school buildings have been constructed in Cambodia by good-hearted individuals, NGOs, and other groups, not enough attention has been paid to dormitories. EDF Cambodia is one of the first NGOs to recognize their importance. This
is our first attempt for us to build dormitories at rural schools, and if successful, we’d like to build more.
Our target school is Toek Haut Lower Secondary School in Kampong Chhnang Province. It has about 50 students (10% of total enrolment) who live in dormitories built on school premises. The dormitories are in a very poor condition.
Please take a moment and look at the following photos.
A so-called "dormitory" at Toek Haut Lower Secondary School
Inside the dormitory: far from comfortable
The "kitchen" where students prepare meals
Holes
are everywhere on the roof and walls
Tiny
lamps like this one are the only source of light for students at night
For anyone from a more affluent country, it is simply beyond imagination to call these shacks "dormitories." If you saw them with your own eyes, you'd probably be shocked, saddened, and feel compassion for the students.
Students Testimonials
Now let us introduce two girl students who currently live in a dormitory at Toek Haut. With financial support, you would be helping them as well as many other students at this school.
This is Vin Sokdavan, a Grade 9 student at Toek Haut. She is from Trapeang Kroper village, which is about 20 km away from school.
She says:
"I and 11 other classmates graduated from primary school in our village, but only eight of us could move up to the lower secondary level. Because of long distance, we had to build dormitories to continue our studies. To build them, each family donated
90,000 Riel [US$22.50]. Four students live in our dormitory.
We are facing many problems, including shortage of food and, during the dry season, clean water, lack of electricity, poor lighting at night, water leakage from the roof and walls when it rains, and bad security. Because of these problems, we have a
hard time keeping up with our studies, and in fact, some of my classmates had to give them up. What we need is proper housing with proper facilities so that we can concentrate on our studies."
And this is Bu Sreynoch, also a Grade 9 student at Toek Haut. She is from Anlong Ak village, about 22 km away from the school.
She says:
"When I started studying at this school at Grade 7, I had 20 classmates, but now at Grade 9, only 10 of them remain at school with me. They gave up their studies because of the poor living conditions here. If there had been proper dormitories, I think
they would have continued their studies.
I have felt no comfort living here and have faced many problems such as food, clean water, lighting, and especially my own security. During the rainy season, I often lack sleep due to water leakage… My scores are not so good because of this accommodation
problem. Nevertheless, I must struggle to study hard because I want to be a teacher at a lower secondary school."
What We Will Build
At Toek Haut Lower Secondary School, we'd like to build one and possibly two proper dormitories, depending on how much money we raise through this campaign.
Each dormitory would be 5 meters wide and 8 meters long, large enough for 25 students. It would have a metal roof, concrete walls and floors, electric lighting, and doors that can lock at night.
For anyone living in an affluent society, it would seem like a very simple domicile with only basic necessities, but for Cambodian rural children, it would be a "dream-come-true" situation. With your support, we can make their dream come true indeed!
The new dormitory will make student life much more comfortable
and safer
About the School
Toek Haut Lower Secondary School is located in Rolear Bier district of Kampong Chhnang Province and is about 70 km away from Phnom Penh. The total number of students this year is 490.
Every year, about 200 new students enter the school from 12 feeder primary schools, but the drop-out rate is high: 30% at Grade 7, 10% at Grade 8, and 20% at Grade 9.
The school principal, Mr. Nut Sokchoeun, says that new dormitories would be a huge help for students, and would make their life much easier and more comfortable so that they could concentrate on their studies.
The
principal and students at Toek Haut Lower Secondary School
Who We Are and Why We Care
EDF (Education for Development Fund) Cambodia is part of EDF International, founded by a visionary,
Terumasa Akio of Japan, to help poor rural students in Southeast Asia. He
started the first projects in the northeastern part of Thailand in the late 1980s, and his activities have now spread to four other countries in the region, including Cambodia. Its American branch, EDF America, is a U.S. registered 501(c) organization with
tax-exempt status.
Since its establishment in 2007, EDF Cambodia has worked to support and improve education in four provinces of Cambodia. It has so far provided 10,441 scholarships, in the form of school uniforms, shoes, books, notebooks, pens, and other study materials,
plus financial assistance, to economically-challenged students in rural communities.
Students put on new EDF school uniforms after receiving scholarships
Lower secondary
school students receive new bicycles
As Cambodian citizens, we strongly believe that the country's future rests on our children and young people. To create a better future for them and for the nation as a whole, ensuring fair and equal access to education is of paramount importance.
That is our mission, but unfortunately there is still a long way to go and we cannot do it alone; we still need support from the international community.
Please Help Us with the Dormitory Project
If you think that building dormitories for rural Cambodian students is as vital and necessary as we do, please help us by donating and/or spreading the word via social media or blogging. Whatever support you decide to offer, it would be so much appreciated
by all the students at Toek Haut Lower Secondary School. They will surely be touched by your generosity and compassion!
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