Space for One More? [A school for the poor in Battambang]

By Ken Wong
Director, Face-to-Face AIDS Project
The Huffington Post

How do you say no to one more child?

My Defenses Go Up
I walk into our office on the grounds of a Buddhist temple in Battambang, Cambodia, saying good morning to the staff of our on-the-ground partner organization, the Salvation Centre Cambodia (SCC). They're seated at a long table, including the elderly Buddhist nun, who speaks a few French words, and the young monk, who's in charge of many of our impoverished children.

As I make my way to talk with Sann Pon, the director of this SCC Battambang office, I pass by Ms. Chamroeun, who's responsible for one particular neighborhood. Ms. Chamroeun is talking to a dark-skinned, poorly dressed woman who's surely younger than she looks. Right by this woman's side are two silent, wide-eyed children. I know they must be very poor. And I know what Ms. Chamroeun is going to ask me as she turns toward me -- and as my defenses go up.

Our School for the Very Poor
A year earlier, my Face-to-Face AIDS Project (F2F) and SCC built a community center here in Battambang. One component of the center is a school for the poorest children who'd otherwise struggle to attend the supposedly free public school. Besides the expected costs for uniforms and school materials, families must give their children daily pocket money to pay for homework, tests, exams, grades, and much more. Part bribe, part corruption, part way-of-life-in-Cambodia. A dime here, a quarter there, it all adds up.

Earlier this year, we had 44 registered students and two teachers conducting absolutely free classes in math, English, and Khmer (Cambodian). Our school's mission is to get these poorest children and their families accustomed to going to school, and then staying in school for as long as possible.

We had all sat down and decided that our first priority is to improve the classroom learning experience, a challenging task because the students' abilities range from below grades 4 to around grade 7. Read the full article at The Huffington Post.