Rain, rain, rain it falls down

September and October is the rainiest part of the year for Cambodia, and it seems this year will be no different. We still get our fair share of sun but in the afternoons we often witness a downpour that lasts a couple of hours.

The noise is deafening and teachers have to shout for their class to hear them - one of the downsides of having a classroom outdoors. After the rain the air is a bit less humid but the temperature returns to its usual heat. The first rule of Cambodia must be "always carry a raincoat"!

Unfortunately some roads and fields don't handle the heavy rain so well, so you have to wade through with the rain up to your knees and in some cases your waist.

Heavy flooding of fields after 24 hours of rain

Road or river? You can't tell!

Support our Textiles and Sewing Class

As well as our English, Maths, Music and Dance classes we run vocational training for older students. This helps them learn and develop a skill that they can use to find a job with once they have completed their education.

Textiles students measuring and sewing fabric

Currently they're learning to make shirts, trousers and skirts for our school uniform. This will then be given to the children that cannot afford to buy a school uniform at the beginning of the next academic year - in January.

We are looking for sponsors to help us buy all the material and equipment needed, any donation would be welcome so have a look below and see if there is something you would like to purchase for us. Alternatively you might have some second hand equipment you can send to us / bring out on your trip to Cambodia!


How to donate: http://khmerchild.org/donations/
What we need: http://khmerchild.org/donations/fund-our-sewing-class/

A glimpse of Cambodia

Cambodia has a rich history that has shaped the country into what it is today.

In this post, a talented student Mao Sokim writes about different aspects of Cambodia.

"In Cambodia there are a lot of celebrations such as the water festival, Khmer New Year, Chinese New Year, Bon Pchum Ben and Katten festival. Before Khmer New Year people prepare food, clean their houses, buy new clothes and so on. However the people in the countryside make traditional cakes called Nam Ousom and Nam Pum. The first day of Khmer New Year is called Mohasang Kran. The second day is named Vilak Vanabouth and the third day is called Virak Loeung Sek. The people always go to the pagoda to meet each other and playing traditional games.

Khmer food includes things such as korko, amok, Khmer cheese, curry and Cambodian noodle.

Most women in Cambodia are farmers who work very hard all day in the fields.

The climate in Cambodia is always changing. Sometimes it’s sunny, sometimes it’s raining. Sometimes it’s windy, misty and cloudy.

My favourite thing in Cambodia is Khmer New Year and Bon Pchum Ben. I like the food Korko but I dislike curry. I like the kind Cambodian people. My favourite place in Cambodia to go for a walk is Angkor Wat because there are a lot of people and I like to visit Angkor Wat."

For more information about us visit www.khmerchild.org 

Good news from our Australian friends!

We have many friends all over the world, and this week we got some news from one of our favourite Australians - Donna McEwen at Lynbrook Primary School, Victoria.

The staff and students have been busy making us some phonics resources and fundraising for FKC! They recently held a sausage sizzle (yum!) and have a noticeboard to share what we do here in Cambodia and why people should support us. We'd like to send them a big THANK YOU for their great work!

If you are interested in fundraising for us, or partnering our school, please contact us using the information on www.khmerchild.org

Ambitions

At FKC we have many ambitious students. We always encourage them to think about their future and how they can shape it. Quite often they will have to save after completing their secondary education in order to pay for their university education, which is why quite often students have more than one idea for their future careers. We are starting a number of vocational training courses to try and give our students a step up, and provide them with real experience that can help them in their job search.

Here is what one of our students says about their ambitions:

Pha Sany - Female - 13

In the future I will be a tour guide because my father tells me that a tour guide is a good job. You can find money to help my family. When I am a student I should learn English and learn how to be a tour guide so I can speak with tourists very well. A tour guide is a good job for me. I would take tourists to the restaurant so that they could eat traditional Khmer food. I would take them to Angkor Wat Temple because it is a good place and the tourists want to see Angkor Wat Temple too.

In the future I will be a nurse because my grandmother tells me when she’s hurt she has me. I can earn money to help my family and I can help people in Cambodia. This is a good job for me. When I am a student I should student all subjects such as Khmer, Maths, English, Korean and Tour guide so in the future I can be a nurse. I can help people in Cambodia.

FKC, meet Blogger.

Welcome to the first post of FKC, Siem Reap, Cambodia!

We've set up this blog to share our news, our students' work and any other inspirational ideas we come across on the World Wide Web.

We are a grass roots NGO based in Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. We run education and community projects and hope to further expand over the coming years to provide future generations of Cambodians basic things previous generations may have missed out on - education, training and access to healthcare.

Visit our main website for more information www.khmerchild.org and stay tuned for more posts. If you have any questions please direct them via the website contact details.

FKC Children singing and dancing in a Physical Education lesson