Nov. 2006, An Update at Last!
The project has a new name, Cambodian Education Project, and a new focus; schools and outreach programs.
Aziza Schoolhouse has expended some programs, and has become a comfortable place for kids in the slum to come to learn, have fun, and be human. When broken down to basics, as the school of thought goes, living in poverty often means being oppressed (by an oppressor), and deprives people of the opportunity to be human. There is a lot happening under the rusty roof these days besides English lessons, with the ultimate goal being to give the kids a time to be human, and give them tools to break out of oppression.
The 3 teachers at Aziza Schoolhouse (Phana, Chay and Sokchea) do most of the work, and I look for new programs, find partners, and take care of the financing. The teachers are clear about their roles; look out for the children’s welfare (sometimes involving me), provide a nurturing learning environment during the week, and a fun community center on weekends; movies and karaoke throughout the day on Saturdays, life skills trainings and soccer on Sunday mornings.
A volunteer from Iran, Satarah, is providing 3-hour drop-in art classes 3 days per week, and there is a woman’s group led by Khmer volunteers (university students Soukheim, Tida and Vicki, set up by Karly) that is meeting every 2 weeks to discuss things that may not get talked about enough in this culture; puberty, anatomy, sex...
We have been teaching kids about various “rights and wrongs” using an animated booklet produced by UNICEF. Some kids asked, “but what about the parents who do hit kids and make them go to work [mostly collecting recycling].” Phana, a caring teacher and role model, told the students to take the books home and show it to their parents.
We did formally adopt a “no-hitting” policy in the classroom. Most teachers here carry a stick to point to the board, pound on desks to get attention, and give a whack to students when they feel it is needed. I decided we would do things a little different.
A part of the English curriculum we are using involves singing. The kids seem to really love it and sound pretty good. Such classics as “If your happy and you know it…”, “Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” and "Old McDonald" boom through the walls. Like all shacks of the slum, the school and it’s neighbors have just some thin boards between them, so I can only imagine they tire of the noise, but they are great neighbors and support the school. They may be my best partners, and I feel lucky to have found such a good natured neighbors.
The 2 brothers who live in the room at the back of the school help out quite a bit, and the younger brother Amnach (it means power) is a favorite student, as well as the class clown/big personality. Amnach has a beautiful voice and sings Khmer pop favorites for the class without any back-up music. Amnach’s mom lives near the Thai border in Poipet (a scary place I hear), and cleans fish for very little money. She left the older boys behind and just kept the youngest with her, but she got word to me that she would like to have the boys go to an orphanage (as many parents here would like to do with their children). Her husband took 2 children with him when he left her for another woman (they refer to it as taking a 2nd wife, and while some men keep them both, too frequently one of the women disfigures the other by throwing acid on her face).
Amnach didn’t go back to school this year because he didn’t have the money; 500 riel per day ($.12), plus occasional test fees etc. It was the same situation for 4 other students, 2 boys and 2 girls. The teacher Sokchea went to the school and talked to the principle, who agreed to let up to 10 students from Aziza schoolhouse attend school without having to pay. We have identified the best candidates, and will be following them and doing our best to keep them in school, including giving some food money for breakfast before school. One student, Sani, a Vietnamese girl, is undocumented and so she needed to be registered with the government before she could attend school, which Sokchea arranged. She doesn’t know her birthday, just that her mother thinks she is about 12. I offered her my same birthday if she wants it.
Sani has started back in the 3rd grade, and was proud to tell us that in
On Sundays, a Khmer volunteer Pheakadey, AKA KD, has been coming to discuss things that I wish the kids didn’t need to know about (but they do); pedophilia, HIV, drugs, domestic violence, human trafficking and prostitution. At 20 years old, KD has already graduated from an
A volunteer, Erik Lofting from
A prestigious, tall, American lecturer visited and gave talks on
Village Earth is of course still supportive, and is the link that makes everything possible.
While the focus of my project has narrowed, there are always unlimited things waiting for my attention. I don’t know all of the 80 students currently attending classes, and when I spend time at the school meeting kids, many needs become clear. One student got my attention recently, Makao, an outgoing 12 year old with a spark in her eye, and a gift for art. She gave me a picture she drew; a lavish scene with birds, flowers, mountains, and a pond. I was praising her great work, and she smiled really big. I could see the tops of her 4 front permanent teeth were all in serious decay. While this may not be the most serious problem any child in
It’s usually the teacher or a family member that takes the kids to the dentist, but I recently stayed with a young boy and girl, 10 and 11 years old (they look like they are 5 and 7) while they got teeth yanked. The girl, Sreyroat (srey means girl), was scared and whimpered at the sight of the novacane needle (after about 25 kids went to the dentist I asked the dentist if he used an anesthesia, which he didn’t, so I asked him if he could get some and he agreed). I held her hand while he pulled the tooth, and she cried as soon as he finished. Next, Kaydee was all smiles, just delighted to be getting a little field trip and some special attention. He had 2 teeth pulled, and the second one didn’t want to come out, despite being a baby tooth and half rotten on top. The roots were over 1 cm when it did finally succumb to the dentist’s strength! He stopped smiling, but only for a minute, then he was right back to big smiles. The whole day he just seemed happy, like it was the best day he’d had all month.
Since school started in late September, I asked all the teachers to quiz the kids to find out who was not going to school. A 15 year old girl, Guintier, lives in a rented room with her 2 older sisters and didn’t have money for school. Her 17 year old sister Sreytuit, has also not returned to school this year, and studies only English and computers part time (thanks to your donations). I was struck by the fact that these girls are unbelievably gorgeous, completely destitute, and living in the heart of a sex worker area; I know the need for education is great. Guintier is now going to school, 7th grade (not uncommon here for that age), and we are giving her $.25 for food every school day. Sreytuit decided not to return to the 9th grade and is looking at job training programs.
We recently provided de-worming medication, Mebenzanol, for all of the kids. It is suggested every 6 months for anyone living in a developing country, is inexpensive and has little to no side effects. Surely many of the 80 children are now rid of parasites that deprive them of needed nutrients.
There are now 8 hours of class per day, about 80 students (most attend 2 hour classes). I now have statistics on the students; all but 3 are between 8 and 18 years old, and two-thirds are between grades 3 and 8. We have “fresh” water that flows freely from large plastic bottles, and I am pleased to see kids drinking more in this heat.
What happened to the project at the Center (orphanage)? It’s a little sticky to put in writing on a blog for all the world to see, but here is my best effort to explain the recent events semi-diplomatically.
Our support was almost all directly benefiting the children. The bathrooms were the 1 major expenditure that benefited the community at large, but most funds passed direct from me to the kids. I learned shortly after arriving that it was, as many organizations in
As time went on my support for the community at the Center was less, and eventually was primarily just paying for kids to attend English school. Most of our resources were going toward the school, just 200 meters from the Center. It’s all a pretty long story, but my version of the short story is that a new director (the previous general manager) felt they were better off without me than with me, since I knew too much about their operation, how they failed to look out for the welfare of the children, etc, and when potential donors came around they preferred to not have me in the picture. They created a theory that I was taking pictures of their community and using them to raise funds for the school. They seemed quite angry and our final meeting had a threatening tone. This of course was quite discerning, so I left the country and went to
While I am saddened to not see my friends (the children at the Center), I am much more productive working in an environment where I have greater control and influence, and it is much more rewarding to know that the programs are making a lasting impact. It is draining to work in the face of corruption. The oppressor-oppressed model is more than academic. On one of my last days there, we organized a big haircuts-and-lice-shampooing day, and tried to put a dent in the endemic lice problem of the community. It was a great success, with efforts from everyone in the community.
What’s next? By January everyone must leave “my” slum, which is often making it into local and international news media. The German ambassador has promised an inquiry into the land grabbing that is taking place across the country, benefiting high-ranking government officials, displacing poor communities and providing nothing for their survival.
I have returned from
posted by drewmcdo at
8:46 AM
0 Comments
