Samrong Education Centre
Samrong is located in Oddar Meanchey province, in Northwest Cambodia. Education opportunities are severely limited and dropout rates remain high. Support this project
Funds raised so far: 51%
Construction of a classroom for the children of the Hinthada residence
The amazing commitment of Sister Bernadette for education
Hinthada is a city located on the Irrawaddy River in Ayeyarwady Region, Burma.
The Hinthada residence houses around fifty children from poor and remote villages. It allows them to continue their schooling instead of working in the fields.
The centre manager, Sister Bernadette, does all she can to fund the school fees of all her boarders. That offers them comprehensive support by organizing extra classes. Teachers from outside the residence come in both mornings and evenings to teach all subjects. These classes are also open to children from outside the residence who don’t have the means to pay for them.
Poor studying conditions
Unfortunately, the residence doesn’t have the necessary size or infrastructure to provide classes. Even though they are essential to the children’s success. It’s explained by the poor state of the local school’s level and the education system following successive dictatorships.
The children have their classes in the dining room or even outdoor. They work in noisy conditions, sit on unstable chairs which makes it hard to concentrate. The courtyard barely protects them. These working conditions are very difficult both for the children and teachers. As a result, levels of attention and motivation are affected. They really need total commitment to follow these classes.
Beneficiaries: 46 children
Cost: £13.604
Father Florence and Sister Bernadette
Center managers
Sister Bernadette takes care of the Hinthada Residence for over 5 years. She is a trusted partner for Children of the Mekong. Moreover, the chancellor, Father Florence, is invested as well. He knows Children of the Mekong since we started to work in Myanmar in 2008. He closely follows our actions, both child sponsorships and development projects. He is the one who called Children of the Mekong for this project. Sister Bernadette and Father Florence are very engaged in the education of young people. They do all they can every day to ensure that as many children as possible go to school. They are quality allies to lead our education projects.
Progress of the work
In these photos, we can see the problem related to the unstable ground, but also the opening on the sides, annoying during the weather.
This is their old study room. It was built along the sewer channel. It was dark and far too small to accommodate the thirty or so residents. So there are difficult working conditions for children. The classroom was right next to the sister’s kitchen (green windows).
There we can see the progress of the work with the laying of the floor and the installation of the structure.
The smile of the children of Hinthada residence says it all!
The children and Sister Bernadette are very excited to benefit from a new study space. The 46 children of the residence and the twenty other local children, were impatient to follow their complementary courses in good conditions.
Despite the difficulties, they still feel lucky to be able to benefit from this educational support. They are grateful to Sister Bernadette for her commitment. Without her and these additional courses, their education would be compromised.
The construction of a classroom has enabled to host more children and has improved their studying conditions considerably.
We would like to say thank you to all our generous donors who could make this happen.
Help improve access to education