6,000 kids have access to quality education every
year! That is what I’ve been reflecting on this week.
I’ve been part of a team that has been celebrating
the school opening of 4 brand new primary school buildings this week and
celebrating the 20th school being completed in 4 years! It's overwhelming emotionally when I look back at what has happened in such a short
time.
5 years ago I was researching an opportunity to
request construction of 2 primary schools. Our team decided to request the
construction of 10 schools. When we finally made the request the leaders of
Samaritan’s Purse Australia/New Zealand challenged our faith and said we should
believe God together for 20 schools in 5 years, instead of just 10.
During the journey Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia and
Samaritan’s Purse Australia/New Zealand staff, Cambodian educators and educators
from Australia and New Zealand dreamed of not only providing school buildings,
but improving the quality of education happening inside the classroom.
Cambodian teachers were eager to receive training and Samaritan’s Purse was
able to provide libraries, innovative resources and low-cost technology, much of which was
designed or developed by Cambodians for Cambodia.
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| Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education taking time out to play literacy games with students on celebration day |
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| Government officials asking students how technology provided by Samaritan's Purse has improved their learning. |
In four years over 120 teachers have been trained,
over 120 school support committee members have been trained and hundreds of loving
parents have heard how they can better support their children’s education.
Students by the end of grade 2 that can read and
understand a simple sentence increased from 10% to 88%! Student that are
functionally literate increased from 4% to 54%!
Students from these schools have started to win
provincial reading competitions. Enrolment rates of middle schools these
schools feed into have increased. In one area we actually had to build a five
classroom addition to a middle school because of the growth!
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| The inside of Bos Thom preschool |
20 schools including 18 primary schools, 1 preschool
and 1 middle school were constructed. These facilities will provide education
for 6,000 primary school children every year.
Just One Story of 20 - Tatrei
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| Former school building used as a weapons depot and Khmer Rouge meeting place. |
During Cambodia's brutal civil war the students of Tatrei were forced to leave school and work in the fields. The school was turned into a Khmer Rouge weapons depot and meeting place. While the war has been over for 20 years students have still been learning in those same dilapidated classrooms. Last week the roof actually began to collapse and the kids were evacuated. Fortunately, their new school building was completed and opened this week! A place that was once used as a tool of a brutal regime has now been transformed into a place of hope and a bright future educating the next generation of leaders.
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| The new Tatrei school |
Words can’t express all that has happened and the
story doesn’t stop there. In addition to improved education we’ve seen
communities being changed. Communities that didn’t work together before are
working together for the next generation’s future. Many people have come to
know Christ and small house groups have popped up in villages where there was
no Christian presence before. Local churches that were once isolated now have
members and pastors serving as part of the school support committees. The
church is a light in the community.
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| Bos Thom Preschool |
It has been a great week of celebration and
thankfulness to God for His faithfulness. Parents, teachers, Cambodian
government officials, Samaritan’s Purse Cambodia staff, Samaritan’s Purse ANZ
staff and amazing Australian and New Zealand partners have been celebrating
this wonderful achievement together as one big team!
The story won’t stop there. God has inspired us and
started everyone on a journey. We are all dreaming together about the next
steps and you’ll be hearing more soon!!!!!
