Volunteer with Cambodia Kids
Location
Cambodia: Siem Reap
Description
Globalteer is a registered charity in the UK providing ethical and affordable volunteering with the amazing children of Cambodia.
The Cambodia project is located in the town of Siem Reap near the UNESCO designated World Heritage Site of the Angkor temples. The project includes free education programmes for the children, food programmes for the children and their families, vocational training, health services and a water filter project. The project focuses on the young and vulnerable to assist them in finding a way out of the trap of poverty.
Free Education Programmes - provide local children who are unable to afford the government school fees the opportunity of a free education. Due to the local tourist industry, 90% of the jobs available in Siem Reap require English to be spoken. The children are very enthusiastic about learning and very much appreciate hearing good English being taught and spoken by the volunteers.
Children learn English, Khmer language and general education in science, math and geography. Recreational classes in arts, drama and sports give them a chance to build confidence and encourage team work. They also have the opportunity to participate in fun activities and simply to be children in a safe and welcoming environment.
Back to school programmes - Many of the children were previously working or begging to be able to feed themselves and their families before the programmes were introduced. By talking to the families about the importance of education and supporting them financially by buying school uniforms and school supplies, the children have been able to return to the state schools to continue their educations.
Food programmes - Various initiatives offer different levels of support depending on need and resources available. Programmes range from a breakfast club for those children in the most difficult circumstances to lunch every day for all students and food packages to help support the children's families.
Health programmes - provide assistance to both children and families when they need to visit the hospital or clinic. The children are also offered health and personal hygiene education.
Social and family support - Globalteer partners with 4 local community projects in Siem Reap which all offer different levels of support to the families of the children they educate. Initiatives include social work, rebuilding houses, interest free loans, childcare to enable older siblings to study, positive mentors and role models, morale boosting exercises including day trips to local cultural attractions and special outings which would not otherwise be available to them.
Vocational training - A range of vocational classes give adolescents and young adults an opportunity to find employment once they leave school. Classes currently range from electrical training and computer skills to sewing and motorcycle maintenance.
Women's Resources - Many Cambodian women are unaware of their rights and lack education in family planning. One of the partners Globalteer works with is aiming to fill this need by holding information sessions especially for women and by providing ongoing support through weaving sessions where the women have an opportunity to sell the goods they make.
Adult literacy - These classes give the adults a chance to participate in the activities of the community centre where their children are learning while improving their chances of finding employment and improving their skills.
Volunteers - Assist the local teaching staff, teach English and general studies, sport and arts, participate in community visits, day trips and fun activities. Volunteers can also do manual work to improve the project or administrative work when available. Doctors, nurses, dentists, opticians and other health professionals are welcome. If you have any other special skills you think may benefit the project we will be happy to explore ways to use your experience.
Water Filters - In Cambodia, 1 in 7 children die before the age of five from preventable diseases such as typhoid, malnutrition, malaria and dengue. The common denominator in many of these is waterborne illness. To address this issue we work with an organisation that is constructing and providing bio-sand water filters. They are a low cost way to provide potable water to impoverished areas from any water source (ie: pump wells, pit wells, rivers, ponds). Bio-sand water filters are a new technology to Cambodia. They are made of gravel, sand and cement at a cost of USD 50 per filter. The filters are easy to construct with locally available materials, install and maintain. The filtration media consists of a layer of gravel, a layer of course sand, and a layer of fine sand. The biolayer holds the key bacteria and is essential to removing 98% of biological pathogens and 100% parasites. Water poured through the filter processes at a rate of one liter per minute. Each filter can optimally filter 50 to 80 liters of water per day.
Volunteers - Assist in the manufacture of the water filters, take the filters into the Cambodian countryside for distribution to villages.
Highlights
By volunteering you will be helping to give these children the chance of a future. The enthusiasm and resilience of these children who would otherwise be begging on the streets or have no chance of a decent future is something that will stay with you always.