Volunteer teaching in Cambodia, 2019!

In Summer 2019, i'm going to Cambodia to work with the UK organisation Mighty Roar in the school they fund near Siem Reap. With over 60 children attending on any single day, volunteers help run the school and provide the education the children all so desperately need and want.

The rural community school was established in 2012 with the aim of providing accessible education and English development to children in the surrounding villages. The project has grown so much that it is expanding, and is currently in the process of building a large school with accommodation to welcome more children and provide even more opportunities to the local community!

With the opportunity to learn and develop English, which is so important in the rural areas, children are prepared to travel long distances (some up to 5km each way) everyday for their daily education. Learning English is seen as a necessity in Cambodia nowadays, as it can provide an overall higher standard of living and is sometimes the only way to achieve better paying jobs.

Not long ago, the foundations of the education system in Cambodia were destroyed under the Khmer Rouge regime. This has resulted in Cambodia having one of the poorest literacy rates in the whole of Asia, especially amongst women. Since then, the government has invested a lot of time and money into rebuilding the education system but as with the majority of developing countries, change is slow. Many problems still persist, including classrooms being very overcrowded, lack of qualified teachers and high dropout rates – especially in the more remote areas. The rural community school provides free education to children from low-income families that are living in extreme poverty in Trang Village, just south of central Siem Reap. Not only this, but the school also provides two nutritious meals per day to all children that attend.

Conversing with fluent, native English speakers greatly improves their language skills and will help get the children set for their future employment and on reaching their true potential. The vast majority of children that attend have no other form of education and rely totally upon the project. The key focus is on teaching English, although volunteers also have the opportunity to teach computer skills, maths as well as creative activities such as art and dance.

Lessons should be as creative, fun and engaging as possible and can include literally anything! This includes telling stories, singing songs (although I don't think the children deserve to have me singing at them!), getting messy with arts and crafts and more!

I'll teach children across all ages throughout the day (from 4 to 14 years old) with class sizes varying from 10 to 20. I'm hoping to get the opportunity to work with the same children each day and build a good rapport with them!

All the money raised through this page will be used to purchase books and art materials for use in Cambodia. As much as possible will be bought 'in country' to help the local economy and save weight travelling. I'll be taking a few favourite books with me, though!