Daybreak brings with it a cacophony of sounds. The cockeral tunes up bang on 5.00am and sets off the dogs who alert the Buddhists that it's time to announce the start of the celebrations to herald the end of the rainy season and the start of summer. This is to last for 3 days.
One of the motivating factors for coming to Cambodia is to help out at one of the village schools just outside the city, where Chris spent some time teaching a couple of years ago. The school is part of the Khmer New Generation Organisation (KNGO) a charity which raises funds to support the education of local children www.kngovolunteer.org
D, T & S take a number of classes. I assist and take some photos to help to publicise the cause. Over 3 hours we have 6 classes of kids ranging in age from about 4 - 16. It is an exhausting afternoon but the kids are friendly, polite, curious, attentive and good fun to be around. The teachers are all volunteers, some former pupils, and are committed to helping the children achieve their ambitions and move out of poverty. When asked what they want to be when they leave school, we hear the same ambitions that you might expect from any kids in the West - teacher, nurse, doctor, engineer, lawyer. The precarious nature of funding and the huge financial obstacles to getting a university education will sadly mean that the chances of many of them achieving their ambitions seem pretty remote. More so since Sun Saveth, the leader of the school, indicates that there are insufficient funds to continue beyond next February. It is a sobering, if life-affirming experience and we leave determined to do something to help the school survive.
Post-script
Good news! Julia's firm, Lindleys Solicitors, based in Bristol and Clevedon, www.lindleys.net have volunteered to make the school their charitable cause for the next year and will raise funds and publicise the cause to their clients. This will help to secure the future of the school in the short term. We'll be making donations to the school in lieu of Christmas presents this year. If you can help in any way please visit the school website. Ok, Appeal over...
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