Literacy

As part of the holistic approach envisioned in the beginning for Water for Cambodia, basic education of the village women was considered a cornerstone for success. Improving the lives of the new generation of rural Cambodians is the goal. Education in basic literacy, numeracy, hygiene and sanitation along with clean water is fundamental to meeting this goal. We are targeting young women because they are the family caregivers, treat the children sick with diarrhea, prepare the food and do virtually all the marketing for the family.

The project began with two classes of 25 students in 2006 as a pilot. Our team selected and helped train the teachers in the curriculum we envisioned. This was merged with the non-formal education program sponsored by the Ministry of Education to gain support from the Provincial Ministry of Education. Classes are held in the villages in the evenings to accommodate the needs of families and workers. The classes are generally intended for young women but all who qualify are welcome. Each student is pretested to establish a base of skills then tested periodically during the 6 month program and finally at the end to measure real progress.

Each year since inception, the program has provided classes for 400 to 600 students. All classes are conducted near the homes of the villagers and are often in the homes of a village leader or student, community meeting building and occasionally in an empty school room... literally where ever suitable space can be found. Our graduation rate is over 90% and a portion of the students have continued their education by pursuing vocational training opportunities.

Library

At the request of a group of newly literate village women, we began to develop small village libraries. Five are currently in operation with more planned in the years ahead. These are stocked with a variety of books in Khmer on subjects ranging from agriculture and poetry to wildlife and children's stories. The libraries also feature self-study English books. Each library is administered by a local village resident, often the local teacher. As part of the library collection, we provide subscriptions to a selection of Khmer language magazines. These are very popular with the village women, especially our literacy program graduates

The library program has introduced the experience of reading for pleasure and reading as a family. It has experienced very high demand from children and adults alike. Often the local school will work with our libraries to exchange books so each has access to a larger collection.