Our wide-eyed group of social welfare students spent the first day (Saturday the 11th) bouncing from school to school supported by the CCDO (Cambodian Child's Dream Organization). We were greeted at The Kirimineon Primary School (above) with two rows of smiling children, eager to share high fives and hugs. Although the entrance seemed staged, the students were bright eyed and curious, seeming pleased to be outside doing something different.
I was quickly taught how to say hello, how are you, my name is, and thank you in Khmer. We we're most certainly distracting the children for a solid 30 minutes, which didn't feel productive, but it was nice to get an introduction to the students and teachers who will soon benefit from the solar energy project.
I soaked in the school atmosphere to further contemplate how solar energy and electricity will benefit students. Classroom fans will cool down temperatures and make students more comfortable in the summer temperatures of up to 110 degrees. Classroom lights will allow students to see during times of downpours, when it can be as dark as night inside. Outlets will allow teachers to power computers and play music for students via boom boxes. Lights will allow for adult literacy classes to be taught after sundown. It all sounds great in theory, and I hope it all pans out to be as beneficial as it sounds!
As little we will be able to do to partner with this incredible community, it is my hope that the solar project will make learning a little more comfortable and enjoyable for students living in a community where merely getting to school can be a hardship (often a multiple km journey across the countryside).
Thank you Cambodia for opening
your doors to our group - the caring people, vibrant culture, and welcoming atmosphere have much to teach us.
Location:Siem Reap, Cambodia
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