Knocking It Out Of The Park!

 Okay, I’m going to admit it from the start that I’m bragging! I started to write this from the perspective of “celebrating”, but the truth is I’m proud of a little girl, her community, the Samaritan’s Purse staff and I’m really proud to get to be a small part of all of it!

So what am I talking about.  This last month Banteay Meanchey Province had it’s annual provincial reading competition. It’s like the state level competition in other countries. One of the contestants came from a small village and a small school. Her name is Sophea. She is 11 years old and is in the 6^th grade. Sophea won her school competition and then won the district competition and made it all the way to the provincial level where she won 1st place again!

Sophea receiving her award with the Village Chief
and Provincial Director of Education

After she won she was awarded a bicycle and other prizes and had her picture taken with the Director of the Provincial Office of Education and several officials, including her Village Chief.  You might ask, why so many people, and why was the Village Chief at a provincial reading competition?

A couple of years ago Sophea’s village had a small wooden school house and the school was struggling to provide the children with a quality education. Like so many other villages in this area the reading and writing levels of many of the children were extremely low. However, the parents and community had dreams and hopes for their kids. When the parents and community shared their hopes and dreams with Samaritan’s Purse and with partners, everyone was compelled to see how we could help. Samaritan’s Purse started a program called We Can Read We Can Write. They added library books, teacher's resources, teacher training and technology to the school. At the same time they built a brand new primary school building for the community.

Sophea with her new bike and the
 new school in the background

Sophea’s personal achievement is just one of the outcomes of this great partnership with the community. Before the program started only about 5 out of every 20 students continued their education from primary school on through middle school. This year 21 out of 21 6th grade students in Sophea’s primary school have enrolled to continue their education into middle school! The Village Chief’s presence at the reading competition is just one evidence of the communities commitment to seeing the next generation fulfill their dreams!  

6th Grade graduates receiving their
new bikes for starting Middle School

When Samaritan's Purse staff asked Sophea what she wanted to be when she grows up, she replied she wants to be a teacher. This is just more proof students aren't just learning skills, but are understanding the true value of education. 

There has been has been a lot of celebrating in Sophea's village recently. First was Sophea's victory, but later the community celebrated the enrollment of all 21 of the 6th grade graduates into Middle School. As a special recognition of this monumental achievement Samaritan's Purse and partners provided each child with a new bike to ride to school. I forgot to mention that the nearest Middle School is 8 kilometers away. These bikes will make that twice a day journey much easier and help make sure these students stay in school.  As a guy who went to a small country school this has been special to me because I realize that Sophea's victory, and the achievement of all of her classmates, is really a victory for small village schools across Cambodia. It's shows that when a community values its children they will rise to the occasion. It makes me thankful for the community I came from!

This is what hope for the future looks like! These students will attend Middle School and that will alter the trajectory of their lives. Please pray for these students as they continue to Middle School and that a church spring up in Sophea's community. 

Great job community, teachers, partners and Samaritan's Purse Education staff!

Bye! Bye!