The children and teachers at Mkak have started planting mango trees at the organic farm. When Piseth Luon visits in January he will arrange for more vegetables and fruit to be planted, including, long beans, bananas, tomato and eggplant. Along with the healthcare project that is planned for next year we are also all very excited about developing the organic farm for the benefit of the entire community.
Construction of the new classrooms at Mkak Primary School are progressing quickly. By the end of 2014 it is envisaged all walls will be completed along with windows and doors fitted. The next major task will be supplying and fitting a roof for the building. All of this progress has been made possible through donations from World Challenge teams, The Humanitus Foundation and various private donations to the Bright Children Organisation.
Even though the Humanitus Foundation has committed to completing the centre for learning and development building at the organic farm, and implementing a health care program as soon as possible, we were pleased to be able to donate money to cover the costs of doors, windows, shutters and miscellaneous supplies for the new classrooms.
At present the school grounds need a great deal of attention and there is a lot of tidying up to be done. Once the classrooms have been finished Humanitus will assist with landscaping the school grounds and painting all of the buildings and fences.
During 2014 the Government of Cambodia have been improving the road to, and through, Mkak village. As you can see in the pictures the road passes directly by Mkak Primary School and the organic farm where health programs will be started next year.
The new road now cuts the travel time from Siem Reap to well under 2 hours making it easier for villagers to commute to Siem Reap and other provincial towns for work. It is hoped that through easier access there will be better opportunities for trading and selling produce and the local economy will eventually start to grow accordingly.
Rung is a 16 year old student from Mkak village. He was one of the highest achieving students at Mkak primary school and started high school 2 weeks prior to our visit in December 2013. Sadly he had stopped going to high school as he could not afford the $1 per day the teachers 'charge' for private lessons. In addition to the $1 per day for lessons, his mother could not afford uniforms or a bike for him to travel to school. Through our first ever sponsorship / scholarship of just $350 including fees, bicycle and uniforms Rung now has the opportunity to contuinue with his education.
Mkak Primary School excursion to Angkor Wat December 27, 2013.
Thank you to Sam Aslam and World Challenge for helping to fund this excursion.
Humanitus Foundation visit to Mkak Primary School 28 December 2013 with Jeffrey Richards, Margaret Froude and Piseth Luon.
We are pleased to announce that solar power has been installed at Mkak Primary School. Initially the power source is adequate to power the library and two evening classes are already up and running. Audio visual equipment has been purchased and will be installed in December 2013. This is the first building in the area to ever have an electricity source so it is of extreme interest and a proud time for the entire village.
Here you can view some photos of the organic farm - an integral part of the Humanitus Centre for Learning and Rural development and an exciting joint venture with the Bright Children Organisation.
We look forward to sharing more photos as we progress.
Progress pictures for new classrooms for Grades 5 and 6 at Mkak Primary School
In July this year our Projects Director, Sally Cordner, and colleague, Christine Gilliland, visited Mkak Primary School.
Davis Clarke, Sam Aslam and Paul Glaubitz left Melbourne on November 27, 2012 to embark on the first stage of their trip to SE Asia. They initially had some downtime touring Vietnam before heading to Cambodia for a 1000km / 10 day bike ride to raise funds for the community learning centre in Mkak Village, Cambodia.
Mkak Primary School - Bright Children Organisation - Official Opening Ceremony
