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Progress Report: Fall 2005

	Hello again to our contributors. This report covers our trip to Siem Reap Province in 2005. We made several visits to Poum Steung, gave out uniforms there and at four other schools, and visited another village to discuss helping them build their own school. Here is one of our students thanking all of us for building the school in Poum Steung Village. She could not attend before, and with no local school, she would never have learned to read and write. She is saying, “Aukuhn chehran.

Hello again to our contributors. This report covers our trip to Siem Reap Province in 2005. We made several visits to Poum Steung, gave out uniforms there and at four other schools, and visited another village to discuss helping them build their own school. Here is one of our students thanking all of us for building the school in Poum Steung Village. She could not attend before, and with no local school, she would never have learned to read and write. She is saying, “Aukuhn chehran.

Here is the new gate, constructed by our principal, with the new fence to the right. The teachers have planted many trees in the schoolyard, now protected from wandering water buffalo. Through the gate you can see the thatched roof of the new cafeteria built by the village. Our principal applied for a Japanese food program, which now provides breakfast and pays some of the village women to cook. We are proud to be one of the few schools qualifying for this.

Here is the new gate, constructed by our principal, with the new fence to the right. The teachers have planted many trees in the schoolyard, now protected from wandering water buffalo. Through the gate you can see the thatched roof of the new cafeteria built by the village. Our principal applied for a Japanese food program, which now provides breakfast and pays some of the village women to cook. We are proud to be one of the few schools qualifying for this.

Here you see the new classroom, now complete. We have doubled up to cover the class of our woman teacher who has been ill. We gave each teacher a notebook, new clothes and their supplemental pay through June. We helped the teacher who was ill with her medical bills (she will return this fall). In response to our questions, the teachers said they do not have enough textbooks. They also wish they had some traditional instruments so they could teach music. We plan to help with this.

Here you see the new classroom, now complete. We have doubled up to cover the class of our woman teacher who has been ill. We gave each teacher a notebook, new clothes and their supplemental pay through June. We helped the teacher who was ill with her medical bills (she will return this fall). In response to our questions, the teachers said they do not have enough textbooks. They also wish they had some traditional instruments so they could teach music. We plan to help with this.

	Two sewing girls are seen here in the schoolyard gathering fruit to make sour soup. Both are 22, and both have lost their parents. Boun (right) lives with her brother in a shack behind a neighbor’s house. She is thin because of malaria. We helped her with medical bills. Sabay and her six younger siblings live with her grandmother. She told us, “I am the mother now. It is a lot of responsibility. If you ask me to, I will work for you all my life long… thank you for supporting me and poor people in my village.”

Two sewing girls are seen here in the schoolyard gathering fruit to make sour soup. Both are 22, and both have lost their parents. Boun (right) lives with her brother in a shack behind a neighbor’s house. She is thin because of malaria. We helped her with medical bills. Sabay and her six younger siblings live with her grandmother. She told us, “I am the mother now. It is a lot of responsibility. If you ask me to, I will work for you all my life long… thank you for supporting me and poor people in my village.”

Again we passed out over 1,000 school uniforms. Here is a school in the ‘Amputee’s Village,’ established right after the war (it now has many non-amputee residents). We have passed out the uniforms, and these boys have spotted a python, which they are excitedly pointing out to us. The principal told us not to worry - it is not poisonous (although it was rather large). This school’s hand-dug well does not give water in the dry season, and the village has no deeper well. We contributed $150 to have a deeper well drilled for the school and village. We also passed out uniforms at Sarith’s home village and donated $250 there to build bathrooms.

Again we passed out over 1,000 school uniforms. Here is a school in the ‘Amputee’s Village,’ established right after the war (it now has many non-amputee residents). We have passed out the uniforms, and these boys have spotted a python, which they are excitedly pointing out to us. The principal told us not to worry - it is not poisonous (although it was rather large). This school’s hand-dug well does not give water in the dry season, and the village has no deeper well. We contributed $150 to have a deeper well drilled for the school and village. We also passed out uniforms at Sarith’s home village and donated $250 there to build bathrooms.

	We gave the teachers at each school a new set of clothes. Their low income ($30 per month) makes this a valuable gift that they were delighted to get, as you can see. This man rides his motorcycle miles to school every day, and gas is expensive.

On the right, you see some of the moms, watching their children get uniforms. Dropping out to work in the fields with the family is a big problem here. By providing uniforms, our project strives to publicly recognize the value of school and provide basic support to the teachers, families and students.

We visited a Kouy village forming on land the government is giving this ethnic group that was nearly destroyed during ’Pol Pot Time’. Sixty families (with more expected) are clearing land, building houses and planting. The nearest school is 9 miles away. If we supply the materials, they can build their own school. Here is their leader, his son and his brother-in-law, with Main Street visible behind them. A charcoal kiln is in the right background. Sarith’s nephew Chey, and Sabay are sitting behind them.

We visited a Kouy village forming on land the government is giving this ethnic group that was nearly destroyed during ’Pol Pot Time’. Sixty families (with more expected) are clearing land, building houses and planting. The nearest school is 9 miles away. If we supply the materials, they can build their own school. Here is their leader, his son and his brother-in-law, with Main Street visible behind them. A charcoal kiln is in the right background. Sarith’s nephew Chey, and Sabay are sitting behind them.

	Our hopes for next year are to continue support for our school and the sewing project and to help the Kouy build their own new school. We are pleased with the way Poum Steung Village supports the school and the uniform sewing project. All of us here and in Poum Steung join with our student who is saying, “Ahkuhn chehran” (thank you very much).

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