Our first school and our first official opening. The Rotary School of Beaudesert in Chuor Ph’av Village in Prey Veng Province. In attendance were 400 children, teachers, elders, officials, monks and ten members of The Rotary Club of Beaudesert and two from The Rotary Club of Phnom Penh Metro, our partner club in Cambodia. (see the Rotary section for details).

25 PHOTOS WITH NOTES HAVE BEEN ADDED AFTER SPORTS DAY PHOTOS, TODAY DECEMBER 26 2011 – A VISIT FROM FRIENDS TO THE SCHOOLS AND THE BEGINNINGS OF OUR CLINIC – SEE ALSO ‘NANGS STORY’ ‘VILLAGE LIFE’ AND TODAYS BLOG POSTING.

I did not take this photo but was given it. I took no photos that day…too too busy. It’s the official opening of our second school. Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Croydon in Melbourne, Australia and paid for by a wonderfully generous Australian travel company, “captains Choice”.

The first two schools with 700 children attending in two shifts. To the right is the school house paid for by the people of Antibes in The Cote d’Azur, in the South of France. The swings and slide were bought with money donated by someone who specifically asked us to buy play equipment.

A tuck shop/market has developed at all our schools. They have become thriving busy places.

 

 

 

Sramom sitting on a teachers chair.

 

 

 

Over at the right hand end we started to build a school house which is now complete and houses teachers if they need a home, extra books and equipment and solar equipment for power.

and nearly complete.

We named the school House Chez Roy and Hilary of Antibes since most of the money came from their incredible fund raising shows in Antibes.

There are two photos of The Antibes teachers house above; Tian and Mao, two of our teachers are with Yong, our village policeman at the door.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A view of the Antibes School House from a tiny little childrens shrine in the grounds.

 

 

A group of our village children who play, every day, around here. We give a full uniform to every child, partly because for many it’s the only clothes they own. What happens is that they share the uniform with smaller siblings.

This was the first classroom opening. An historic day for everyone. Ninety six grade one children lining up outside their room for the first time.

All 96 grade one children at their village made desks waiting for their first lesson.

The boys, August 2011.

..and the girls; both photos inserted September 2011. Just below on the left are five of our grade one children July 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Croydon along with Captains Choice paid for half the essential school equipment – books, sporting goods, musical instruments, art equipment, Uniforms, because many owned no clothes at all, solar panels, computers and gas bottles so we can provide food.

Imagine a ceremonial procession of school equipment from the villages the short distance to the school; it was a massive turn out.

The region had never seen anything like it. It was a wonderful ceremonial day to receive school equipment ..for everyone and especially, all the children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inside a classroom presenting exercise books, pens and shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This little girl is Mab and is eleven years old; Mab is very Mal-nourished. One of the benefits of schools all over the world is that we can see these sort of problems or issues and start to tackle them.

 

 

Prey t’Baing school is in the same greater administrative district but serves a completely different five villages. There are 300 children attending this school. At this stage its half built.

 

 

Everything about this building is hand made locally – bricks, concrete, terracotta tiles, doors; all made in the villages by men, women and children.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The original foundation work was just back breaking work. All concrete columns are hand made at the site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On opening day of Prey t’Baing, our third school, everyone wore their new uniforms and a market atmosphere made it a fun day as well as an historic one. Remember, these children had never attended school before.

These are mums in their very best and borrowed clothes. If you study the photo you can see they already have, on day one, the beginnings of a good tuck shop.

 

 

We are very pleased to get Sok Ken our only female teacher. She is excellent and although she earns no more than the others she is clearly our head teacher.

.. and Sok Ken in August 2011

 

 

 

 

The male teacher Tian, Chanthou, our number one helper in the villages and Sok Ken our female teacher.

We have thousands of photos of the schools and the 1000 children we already have in school. These children need books and equipment and maintenance is needed. We have villages who are asking us to help them with a school.

We need to build a HIGH SCHOOL which will serve 12 local villages, but we need your help for that. Join us and literally feel and be part of us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way to Kohte Cho, the island in the Mekong River (close to Neak Leung famed for a terrible bombing raid during the Vietnam war).

 

 

 

The village children gather and talks begin.

 

 

 

 

 

A typical home for Kohte Cho village children.

 

 

 

 

Schools Sport day:

This was sports day recently. “I’d like you to play your own traditional games”. This was the favorite. Drink hands free from your team’s bowl, run and spit into your team’s bottle. If your team fills it’s bottle first they win the heat, then semis and the final. 100s took part using the same two bowls and bottles.

Just maybe we have a health and hygiene issue do you think?!’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADDED DECEMBER 26 2011 AFTER A VISIT FROM ROLAND AND EVA FROM SWEDEN.

Roland and Eva were travelling from Phnom Penh and asked what they should buy in Phnom Penh. Bearing in mind we have 1000 children across three schools I told them we very much need excercise books and pens etc. they went shopping at Old Market and bought books, pens, rulers, maths and khmer language text books and balls

Roland and Eva buying books in Phnom Penh

 

 

 

 

We visit Prey t’Baing School. This is me, John with the view across the pond

..and some of the children display their new posters, books and pens.

 

 

 

 

 

Roland and Eva present posters and maps to the teacher – Tokna.

 

‘over here is Sweden and here is Cambodia’

some of the 1000 excercise books for our 1000 children.

 

 

 

 

The photo of several buildings is the Chuor Ph’av site. The brand new building being started is our regional Clinic. It will serve our sudents and about 12 villages. Its primary role will be EDUCATION – nurses visiting villages to teach heath and hygeine. It will also be a first port of call to spot illnesses that might need a visit to a larger hospital. We are grouped in front of it.

We are using exactly the same ‘model’ with building the clinic. It is hand built exclusively by people from the villages. It is THEIRS not OURS.

 

 

 

 

The whole group standing in front of the Teachers House and the Clinic. The Teachers House is named ‘Chez Hilary and Roy King’ who are major donors from Antibes – see several Blogs about shows in Antibes that support us.

The Clinic will eventually look on the outside, the same as the teachers House. The doorway is large for ease of access.

 

 

 

 

We take a break and the children have prepared a coconut drink. The lady on the photos left is Sok Ken, our most senior of 9 teachers.

There are 700 children being taught in these two buildings across two shifts – am and pm. Roland and Eva seem to be having a great day. UNICEF donated the play equipment.

 

 

 

 

John with Eva and our two most senior teachers and Eva’s donate map of Cambodia. There were nine of these maps – one for each classroom.

some of our children say bye bye (lisonhai) to Roland and Eva.

THERE ARE ALSO PHOTOS OF THIS VISIT IN ‘NANG’S STORY’ AND IN ‘VILLAGE LIFE’ AND ‘HELPING THIS WAY’…. John December 26 2011

 

 

On January 25 2012 a group of Australian Rotarians visited to see the schools so far and progress with our clinic. We maintain our ‘way’ of doing things with the clinic and if you look for the BLOG dated February 3 2012 you can see the progress. There are 53 new photos covering the schools, progress with the Clinic and several photos of children you know and villagers you know… but rather than separate them into sections we have kept that particular visit as one collection of photos. John.