New Year 2010 Gift
To celebrate the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, we have chosen to donate a sum of money to a charitable project. This doesn't mean sending a quick wire transfer to Unicef, though. The project was independently identified and commissioned by members of the team and the progress, including exactly how the money is being used, is being closely monitored.
If you have purchased a Wiikey product this year, you have helped to make this project a reality!
Setting
Prey Srolit is a district in Prey Veng province, on the eastern border of Cambodia. The village of Prey Srolit has a population of around 8000 people, and is situated about 3 hours drive north east of Phnom Penh. Prey Veng is traditionally associated with extreme poverty and is labeled by many Cambodians as the poorest of Cambodia’s 23 provinces. It was the scene of heavy bombing during the Vietnam war, and was largely ignored by the present Cambodian government until the announcement of a Trans-Asia highway that will stretch through the area, linking Ho Chi Minh City with Phnom Penh (and ultimately Singapore). The village lies around 14 kilometers off the main road on a poorly maintained stretch of dirt road, accessible only by 4-wheel-drive or motorcycle traffic.
The school
Anuwitayalai Prey Srolit is a middle school, catering for grades 7, 8 and 9 in six subdistricts surrounding Prey Srolit. Cambodian children are not required by law to study beyond grade 6, so most of the students in the school are those that have decided to pursue their studies, and thus tend to be fairly studious. In spite of the best efforts of both teachers and students, the school is in poor shape and facilities are minimal. Makeshift whiteboards are the only instructional media available, and up to 70 students squeeze into the classrooms on poorly fashioned bench-desks which should cater for around 40 students. Classroom block A pre-dates Pol Pot era and is in dangerously poor repair. The community has managed to work towards keeping 3 of the 5 classrooms in the block safe for students and have added a waterproof roof to protect studies during the rainy season, but haven't managed to complete the work due to lack of funds.
The school’s needs
Classroom block A is in dire need of maintenance. The middle three classrooms are currently only barely usable though the new roofing allows for study year round. The building itself was designed originally for 5 classrooms, the two end classrooms are currently unserviceable, and need to be completely rebuilt for safe use. The following have been identified for the block:
- New flooring for the two end classrooms
- The roofing needs to be stripped and resealed on the two end classrooms
- New walls need to be built around the entire building to protect students from the immediate effects of rain and wind during study session
- New windows/shutters and doors must be added
- Wooden wall beams need to be placed in the two end classrooms, and dangerous unused planks removed from the site.
- Workable whiteboards need to be fitted throughout the block.