Community support centring upon a small school in rural Cambodia
May 2023
February 2024
Water Garden Project & Community Demonstration Event
On 6th February 2024, a community demonstration event was held, attended by various community leaders and government officers in Veun Sai district, including local doctors, the Chief of Education's office, Vireak Chey Primary School deputy director, Fang Village Chiefs, the commune council, local post chief and Fang villagers.
April 2024
Water Garden Project
Edible crops currently growing at Samaki School:
Eggplant (3 varieties), pepper (2 varieties), morning glory, basil, ridge gourd, sponge gourd, wax gourd, winged beans (2 varieties)
Local villagers inspired by the project regularly access water supply on site thanks to the recently-installed solar-powered water pump on the existing borehole (originally installed with manual pump). Borehole interventions on this project are merely a temporary system for water security while surface water retention systems are established.
August 2024
New books
August 2024
Water Garden Project
August 2024
Visiting another independent rural school run by a volunteer teacher
Rainy season turns roads into muddy deathtraps.
Mr. Voeun hears of another independent rural local school a couple hours away run by a volunteer teacher on her own, and decides to visit the school despite poor road conditions. We hope to build relationships with the families associated with this school and support the teacher as well, particularly to assist with urgent needs of her students.
September 2024
New seedlings
Due to treacherous road conditions, Mr. Voeun couldn't visit in September, relying on phone calls to stay in touch, particularly on Thursdays, which are dedicated to hygiene/environment, gardening, and reading. These pictures were taken by the teacher who supports the students with the garden project daily.
With school vacation coming up and the start of the new school year in December, we are expecting some changes. It appears that the local authorities, who fund the teachers' salaries, have decided to bring in new teachers.
The local authorities have also declared a Flood Emergency in four Ratanakiri districts including Veun Sai where Samaki School is. Due to the monsoon rains, there is a risk that Vietnamese authorities open a large dam upriver, with potentially disastrous impacts in Ratanakiri.
Despite the adverse conditions, students managed somehow to get new seedlings started, and also introduced fish to the garden pond, to learn about raising fish.
The solar panel on the borehole pump is still waiting for the technician's visit to be properly fixed, however the visit has been marred by the rains. Regardless, with the rains, borehole water supply is not a major need for now.
October 2024
Fertilising the garden
Students started new seedlings and fertilised the garden with cow dung and carbonised rice hull from neighbouring villages.
November 2024
Fertilising the garden
Students learn how garden fertiliser of cow dung and carbonised rice husk is made locally, via a demonstration presentation by local villagers, assisted by their teacher.
Cow dung is dried and collected, piled up with dried rice husks from a recent harvest, covered in dried rice stalks, and burned until blackened.
They also learn how liquid fertiliser is made with kitchen scraps, and each receive a bottle to take home for use in their own gardens.