School@Ta Peuv - an update

Ta Peuv was the second village school we built. This was completed back in 2007. At that time we had confidence to just build 2 classroom schools. These classrooms are now bursting at the seams and the school conducts classes from Grade 1-4.

Grade 4 students quietly at their work.

We need now to build 2 more classrooms to absorb the students moving up to Grades 5-6. Can we do it?

Please help us.

Ta Peuv

Just past the Kpg Thmor junction, heading southwards, there is a turn off onto a track heading east, gloriously called the Hun Sen Trail. The trail is heavily pot-holed and gets very muddy when it rains. Nevertheless the trail leads through some very scenic views of rural Cambodia. After a very bumpy 15kms, the trail turns right through a small market village called Krava. Ta Peuv lie at the end of another slow 4-5kms of dirt track.

This is a relatively small village consisting of approximately 200 families with about 500 children.We had visited Ta Peuv in 2005, discussing the school needs of the village with the headman, his elders and the district school principal.

There was only one school in the vicinity that served a cluster of 5 villages and which provided limited classroom facilities for grades 1-6. Young children from Ta Peuv have to walk about 2 km along difficult dirt tracks to attend this school. Parents have expressed great concern for the safety of their young children traveling so far by themselves to get to school and have made a plea for a school to be built within the village grounds. In anticipation, they had as a community, collected enough money and had bought a large (~80m x 120m) plot of land specifically for the village school.

At that time, there were 2 Christian families in Ta Peuv village. Savan, a local pastor with CMS, had lived in the village before and was familiar with the village leadership. His co-worker Vesna, had been making fortnightly trips to the village. It was hoped that the construction of the school would facilitate the access of local missionaries and pastors into the village so that a cell group and eventually a church could be established.

These needs was brought back to Mt Carmel and by God's grace, we very quickly were able to raise the US$9-10K that was required to build a 2-classroom school, complete with toilets and furniture, plus a bore well for the village. I was particularly touched by the donation of a princely sum of money by a young brother in our congregation who had felt moved to provide the money towards this school in Ta Peuv.

In March 2007 we were able to re-visit Ta Peuv for the commissioning of the school. We were particularly impressed by the community spirit of the village, whose leadership had galvanized the entire village to donate 3 fence poles per family towards the construction of the school fence.

Ta Peuv November 2007 update

November 2007

Since 2005, we have identified 2 remote villages in the Baray district that were badly in need of schools. These villages are characterized by being fairly isolated and accessible only through badly maintained dirt tracks. Young children do not attend school because they are too young to make the arduous journey by foot to the nearest school, often kilometers away. Because they do not start school appropriately, the children remain illiterate and innumerate. When they become old enough, they are already very far behind and find it difficult to cope with school. Often they will just default from schooling and remain uneducated.

The Cambodia Build-a-School project seeks to coordinate resources to allow such remote needy villages to build a school within the vicinity of the village. These schools will be relatively simple schools catering only to the lower primary classes. It is anticipated that when the children get to Primary 3, they should be able to move to the nearest larger school in the nearby villages. The village will take ownership and undertake to maintain the school. The teachers will be supplied by the Department of Education. In all these villages, our expectation is that the local pastor (Cambodia Methodist Services) must be prepared to minister to the village with the intent of establishing a church within the village.

The first of these villages was a small and very poor village, Chhom Trach. By the grace of God we were able to raise enough money to enable the building of a 2 classroom school, as well as to provide the village with a bore well in the compound of the school. We have since returned to Chhom Trach twice after commissioning the school. On the recent trip in November, we were able to witness the school in session. There are 2 teachers catering to approximately 122 students of Primary 1 and 2 levels. Three classes are in operation with 38, 40, and 44 students respectively. By next year it is anticipated that the school will be maximally utilized with 4 classes (2 classes x 2 sessions) in operation.

The second village we were able to minister to, is Ta Peuv, consisting of approximately 200 families with about 500 children. Once again, by God's grace, in 2006/7, we managed to raise more than US$10K to build a 2 classroom brick school complete with toilets and furniture, plus a bore well in the school compound for the village. As a gesture of their commitment to the school every family from the village contributed 3 fence poles to be planted for the school fence. We reciprocated this gesture by contributing to the purchase of barbed wire for the fence. During the November trip, we observed the students in class and were able to meet with the village committee. Currently 2 classes are in session (1 class x 2 sessions), as the school only started in October 2007. It is anticipated that in 2008, when the present class is promoted to Primary 2, another 2 classes will come into session.

We have also evaluated the needs of a third village, O Ta Saeng, just across the border in Kampong Cham. This is a village with 175 families and 177 children (92 girls). The village leadership has committed a plot of land (~20x80m) for a proposed 3 classroom school. The anticipated need is relatively large as the school is expected to also support a neighbouring village, Neang Leung, with ~80 families. The estimated cost for building this school is approximately USD15-18K.

We praise God, as the latest news is that the village headman has just accepted Christ. Furthermore, recent visitors from Alor Star Wesley church, who were celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary have pledged a sum of USD10K to co-sponsor the building of the church. God is great!