Family Care Cambodia
2004 Rural Education Development Project
In Siem Reap, we maintain a pilot education project in 2 public primary schools, that provides 400 students with free English and computer classes daily.
Our largest education program is currently underway in Siem Reap. The Cambodian Ministry of Education identified an urgent need for more bi-lingual training opportunities for rural children and better quality education in rural public schools to combat early drop-out rates. Responding to that need, we began a partnership with Phum Thnal Primary school in 2005 and initiated free English classes during the lunch hour break. In 2007 we organized the refurbishing of one classroom to be used for English and IT training, installing electricity, desks and computers, and providing teacher salaries for all day classes. In 2008 we constructed a new school building with 3 more classrooms to replace a wooden structure that was on the verge of collapse, thus enabling English and computer classes to run simultaneously, and provide 200 students with free English and IT training daily. The opening ceremony was attended by the Governor, Regional Director of Education and other local dignitaries. The school was lauded as a “pilot project” for the region, due to the innovative training programs. One official said, “Donors have often helped build a school, but the project fails because there is no further training, no program, no maintenance. But you stick with us and see things through and we are grateful.”
In 2014, we expanded this successful model to another public school in the district, Sandan Primary School, to provide an additional 200 primary school children with daily English and IT instruction. An IT lab with 30 computers was installed in both locations and educational software programs for reading, writing and speaking English have been incorporated into the curriculum. Many other repairs and upgrades have been completed in the past several years at both schools including hand wash basins, lavatories, sidewalks, drainage, electric installation, fans, tiles, painting, etc. We’ve organized annual English Camps and excursions for the 6th grade students. The majority of students who participate in our extra-curricular programs go on to junior highschool, including the girls, thus markedly reducing the dropout rate that is so prevalent in rural communities.
At present, 400 students, from 3rd to 6th grade are benefiting from these daily classes. FCC provides salaries for 4 teachers and 2 security guards who maintain the program. We’ve just opened up evening classes for our former students who have graduated to Junior High School, but who wish to continue their English and computer training.
2005 Cornerstone Project
Koh Rumdual is a small island located 25km south of the capital, Phnom Penh. Nearly 100 poor families, consisting of widows, the handicapped and their children were placed on this island by the Ministry of Social Affairs in order to get them off the streets. Each family was given a small plot of land to build a tiny hut and grow produce. However, with no education or means to produce income, dire poverty was the norm and survival by any means became their primary goal.
In 2005, they began assisting this neglected island community—now grown to over 350 inhabitants—with food, clothes and basic medical supplies. In response to the dire educational need, what began as a makeshift classroom for a handful of students under a wooden hut’s awning became a large, two-storied kindergarten and elementary school for nearly 60 children, built on land purchased through a grant from Family Care Foundation.
The only school on the island, it offers grades K-3 with free lunch, for children as old as 12 years old who never attended school before. It also features a library, storage rooms, kitchen and dining area, lavatories, a massive water tank, children’s playground and volunteer dormitories. The finishing touches were completed in early 2012 with the installation of solar panels, providing the school with electricity—otherwise non-existent on the island.
A Vocational Training and Community Center is currently being built on land directly in front of the school, purchased with another FCF grant. It will offer craft-making and marketing training for widows and poor villagers, as well as recreational facilities for the entire community.
2007 Special Olympics
Each year since 2007, we have partnered with the National Special Olympic Committee of Cambodia to host athletic competitions at the National Olympic Stadium for intellectually challenged children and youth. Sometimes the games consist of a variety of track and field events. Other times, there is an emphasis on team sports like soccer. The young athletes come from the capital city and from rural provinces across the country. 2016 was a milestone year, as the games included teams not only from Cambodia, but from the neighboring countries of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
We organize the donation, delivery and distribution of free lunch, snacks and drinks for all participating children, care-givers and parents, thanks to the generosity of local sponsors and businesses. Each year the success of the Special Olympic Games are a tribute to teamwork and partnership! These youth often lead a marginalized, and difficult life due to their disabilities. So it is a thrilling and uplifting experience to join together for organized games and races, be cheered on by enthusiastic spectators, and receive medals for their efforts from government officials. A highlight of each year’s games, has been to sit in the shade of the Olympic Stadium bleachers and enjoy a nutritious complimentary meal.
Jan 2013 Village Learning Center
FCC partners with a local non-profit, HFHL, to provide educational support and recreational facilities for the underprivileged community of Phum Tany village. At the beautiful new learning center preschoolers have access to early education, while older children learn the English language, IT skills, art, science and remedial subjects.
If there’s one thing that Family Care Cambodia (FCC) is passionate about, it’s helping children develop their full potential in a loving and nurturing environment. For FCC that means going where the needs are greatest and investing in developing the necessary foundation for a quality education.
The majority of Cambodia’s youth live in small villages in rural districts characterized by a shortage of schools and qualified teachers, and where early childhood education, access to technology, and bi-lingual training opportunities remain largely out of reach. As a result, many rural children struggle academically and drop out of school before completing 6th grade. Poverty is a crucial factor, as often parents in rural areas cannot afford the direct and indirect educational costs, and children are instead required to help at home with chores and field work.
In an effort to address this need, FCC partnered with Home of Faith, Love, Hope (HFHL)—a local non-profit, to establish a community learning center in Phum Tany village, Krang Jaek district of Kampong Speu province. Phum Tany is a rural village with over 200 families, in a province with only an estimated 10% enrollment in secondary school. Thanks to the generous support of donors, a one-hectare piece of land has been developed into a beautiful learning center to benefit this community. Newly constructed facilities include a four-classroom school building, library, meeting hall, office, a staff house, plus rooms for temporary volunteers and interns.
Currently, 130 children from the surrounding villages, ages 3-18, are enrolled in daily preschool or extra-curricular classes at the learning center. Daily subjects include English language, IT skills, and early childhood education; weekly art and science classes are also offered. Remedial math and Khmer language tutoring is provided on site by local public school teachers. A small tuition contribution comparable to local standards is requested, which covers operational costs to make the project self-sustaining. We seek donors to sponsor students from the poorest families. In an effort to develop self-sufficiency, the center has developed organic vegetable gardens, a chicken coop, duck pond, compost pit, and a fresh water well and pump. Approximately 100 shade and fruit trees have also been planted at the project site.
Bringing out the best in kids includes their physical health and motor development, and a chance to run, jump, climb and play in the sunshine! The learning center’s recreational facilities include a soccer pitch, a playground with seesaws, swings, playhouse, picnic benches and climbing bars, and a sandbox. It’s by far the most fun place to be for miles around! Through networking with volunteer organizations and university internship programs, FCC receives volunteers and interns who assist with teaching, curriculum development, construction, renovation, and agriculture. Most of all, volunteers enjoy interacting with the local community and investing in the future of the children.
2017 Community Sports Center
To “kick off” 2017, we celebrated the opening of our newest project; a Community Sports Center in Snoul district of Kratie province. Our co-worker, Mr Suon Borith, is managing the program and the center is called “Borith’s Sports Center – sponsored by Family Care Cambodia”!
Alex and Borith oversaw the construction of a professional soccer field with turf, high net and power lights for evening matches. A volley ball court has also been built. It’s the first sports center of its kind in the district and a great way to provide healthy exercise, recreation and good, clean fun for the community. Teams from local businesses, youth teams and the Snoul District Police team are all using the facility. During off peak hours, we have made the pitch available to teams of students from the local middle school and high schools and a local orphanage. The Center also has an outdoor café and meeting room which can be used to host meetings, seminars and classes for the community.
Family Care Cambodia is a non-profit, volunteer organization. The activities you have just read about were made possible through donations from businesses and concerned individuals. If you would like to help sponsor our projects or volunteer, visit our new website, https://givingonpurpose.org/projects/family-care-cambodia/
We look forward to hearing from you!
In Siem Reap, we maintain a pilot education project in 2 public primary schools, that provides 400 students with free English and computer classes daily.
Our largest education program is currently underway in Siem Reap. The Cambodian Ministry of Education identified an urgent need for more bi-lingual training opportunities for rural children and better quality education in rural public schools to combat early drop-out rates. Responding to that need, we began a partnership with Phum Thnal Primary school in 2005 and initiated free English classes during the lunch hour break. In 2007 we organized the refurbishing of one classroom to be used for English and IT training, installing electricity, desks and computers, and providing teacher salaries for all day classes. In 2008 we constructed a new school building with 3 more classrooms to replace a wooden structure that was on the verge of collapse, thus enabling English and computer classes to run simultaneously, and provide 200 students with free English and IT training daily. The opening ceremony was attended by the Governor, Regional Director of Education and other local dignitaries. The school was lauded as a “pilot project” for the region, due to the innovative training programs. One official said, “Donors have often helped build a school, but the project fails because there is no further training, no program, no maintenance. But you stick with us and see things through and we are grateful.”
In 2014, we expanded this successful model to another public school in the district, Sandan Primary School, to provide an additional 200 primary school children with daily English and IT instruction. An IT lab with 30 computers was installed in both locations and educational software programs for reading, writing and speaking English have been incorporated into the curriculum. Many other repairs and upgrades have been completed in the past several years at both schools including hand wash basins, lavatories, sidewalks, drainage, electric installation, fans, tiles, painting, etc. We’ve organized annual English Camps and excursions for the 6th grade students. The majority of students who participate in our extra-curricular programs go on to junior highschool, including the girls, thus markedly reducing the dropout rate that is so prevalent in rural communities.
At present, 400 students, from 3rd to 6th grade are benefiting from these daily classes. FCC provides salaries for 4 teachers and 2 security guards who maintain the program. We’ve just opened up evening classes for our former students who have graduated to Junior High School, but who wish to continue their English and computer training.
2005 Cornerstone Project
Koh Rumdual is a small island located 25km south of the capital, Phnom Penh. Nearly 100 poor families, consisting of widows, the handicapped and their children were placed on this island by the Ministry of Social Affairs in order to get them off the streets. Each family was given a small plot of land to build a tiny hut and grow produce. However, with no education or means to produce income, dire poverty was the norm and survival by any means became their primary goal.
In 2005, they began assisting this neglected island community—now grown to over 350 inhabitants—with food, clothes and basic medical supplies. In response to the dire educational need, what began as a makeshift classroom for a handful of students under a wooden hut’s awning became a large, two-storied kindergarten and elementary school for nearly 60 children, built on land purchased through a grant from Family Care Foundation.
The only school on the island, it offers grades K-3 with free lunch, for children as old as 12 years old who never attended school before. It also features a library, storage rooms, kitchen and dining area, lavatories, a massive water tank, children’s playground and volunteer dormitories. The finishing touches were completed in early 2012 with the installation of solar panels, providing the school with electricity—otherwise non-existent on the island.
A Vocational Training and Community Center is currently being built on land directly in front of the school, purchased with another FCF grant. It will offer craft-making and marketing training for widows and poor villagers, as well as recreational facilities for the entire community.
2007 Special Olympics
Each year since 2007, we have partnered with the National Special Olympic Committee of Cambodia to host athletic competitions at the National Olympic Stadium for intellectually challenged children and youth. Sometimes the games consist of a variety of track and field events. Other times, there is an emphasis on team sports like soccer. The young athletes come from the capital city and from rural provinces across the country. 2016 was a milestone year, as the games included teams not only from Cambodia, but from the neighboring countries of Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
We organize the donation, delivery and distribution of free lunch, snacks and drinks for all participating children, care-givers and parents, thanks to the generosity of local sponsors and businesses. Each year the success of the Special Olympic Games are a tribute to teamwork and partnership! These youth often lead a marginalized, and difficult life due to their disabilities. So it is a thrilling and uplifting experience to join together for organized games and races, be cheered on by enthusiastic spectators, and receive medals for their efforts from government officials. A highlight of each year’s games, has been to sit in the shade of the Olympic Stadium bleachers and enjoy a nutritious complimentary meal.
Jan 2013 Village Learning Center
FCC partners with a local non-profit, HFHL, to provide educational support and recreational facilities for the underprivileged community of Phum Tany village. At the beautiful new learning center preschoolers have access to early education, while older children learn the English language, IT skills, art, science and remedial subjects.
If there’s one thing that Family Care Cambodia (FCC) is passionate about, it’s helping children develop their full potential in a loving and nurturing environment. For FCC that means going where the needs are greatest and investing in developing the necessary foundation for a quality education.
The majority of Cambodia’s youth live in small villages in rural districts characterized by a shortage of schools and qualified teachers, and where early childhood education, access to technology, and bi-lingual training opportunities remain largely out of reach. As a result, many rural children struggle academically and drop out of school before completing 6th grade. Poverty is a crucial factor, as often parents in rural areas cannot afford the direct and indirect educational costs, and children are instead required to help at home with chores and field work.
In an effort to address this need, FCC partnered with Home of Faith, Love, Hope (HFHL)—a local non-profit, to establish a community learning center in Phum Tany village, Krang Jaek district of Kampong Speu province. Phum Tany is a rural village with over 200 families, in a province with only an estimated 10% enrollment in secondary school. Thanks to the generous support of donors, a one-hectare piece of land has been developed into a beautiful learning center to benefit this community. Newly constructed facilities include a four-classroom school building, library, meeting hall, office, a staff house, plus rooms for temporary volunteers and interns.
Currently, 130 children from the surrounding villages, ages 3-18, are enrolled in daily preschool or extra-curricular classes at the learning center. Daily subjects include English language, IT skills, and early childhood education; weekly art and science classes are also offered. Remedial math and Khmer language tutoring is provided on site by local public school teachers. A small tuition contribution comparable to local standards is requested, which covers operational costs to make the project self-sustaining. We seek donors to sponsor students from the poorest families. In an effort to develop self-sufficiency, the center has developed organic vegetable gardens, a chicken coop, duck pond, compost pit, and a fresh water well and pump. Approximately 100 shade and fruit trees have also been planted at the project site.
Bringing out the best in kids includes their physical health and motor development, and a chance to run, jump, climb and play in the sunshine! The learning center’s recreational facilities include a soccer pitch, a playground with seesaws, swings, playhouse, picnic benches and climbing bars, and a sandbox. It’s by far the most fun place to be for miles around! Through networking with volunteer organizations and university internship programs, FCC receives volunteers and interns who assist with teaching, curriculum development, construction, renovation, and agriculture. Most of all, volunteers enjoy interacting with the local community and investing in the future of the children.
2017 Community Sports Center
To “kick off” 2017, we celebrated the opening of our newest project; a Community Sports Center in Snoul district of Kratie province. Our co-worker, Mr Suon Borith, is managing the program and the center is called “Borith’s Sports Center – sponsored by Family Care Cambodia”!
Alex and Borith oversaw the construction of a professional soccer field with turf, high net and power lights for evening matches. A volley ball court has also been built. It’s the first sports center of its kind in the district and a great way to provide healthy exercise, recreation and good, clean fun for the community. Teams from local businesses, youth teams and the Snoul District Police team are all using the facility. During off peak hours, we have made the pitch available to teams of students from the local middle school and high schools and a local orphanage. The Center also has an outdoor café and meeting room which can be used to host meetings, seminars and classes for the community.
Family Care Cambodia is a non-profit, volunteer organization. The activities you have just read about were made possible through donations from businesses and concerned individuals. If you would like to help sponsor our projects or volunteer, visit our new website, https://givingonpurpose.org/projects/family-care-cambodia/
We look forward to hearing from you!