The Countryside Class is a small afternoon school in suburban Battambang. Seed of Small Beginnings, a Swiss organisation, has been supporting the Countryside Class since 2014. Kleine Hilfsaktion e.V. provides funding to Seed’s projects on a continuous basis. We also provided a water filter, toys, clothes, school materials as well as first aid kits.

In 2014, the Countryside Class has been founded by a tuk tuk driver named Sambath. In countless hours he built up the school and ran it by himself. Now it offers free English and Khmer classes to over 145 children from the vicinity, as well as classes in traditionnal Khmer dance. Thanks to generous donations a library has been added to the school and to the community.

In the Cambodian school system many children quickly loose interest in learning. The Countryside Class therefore aims at waking the children’s joy of learning by complementary activities and it encourages children to develop their personalities. The school also engages in the community and regularly organises projects to raise awareness for the protection of the environment. Our partner Plastic Free Cambodia regularly organises workshops and activities around plastic-related topics to raise awareness within the community.

By a lot of effort and dedication, a place that was not much more than a few school benches under a roof has been converted into a proper school consisting of three classrooms and a library. With the library the Countryside Class aspires to wake the joy of learning. Because those who cannot read and write properly have almost no chances to escape from (educational) poverty. But the library offers a lot more than just books. It is also an important meeting point for the children in the neighbourhood. They cannot only listen to stories but also read, play, learn, write their own stories and much more.

The Countryside Class has been constructed with wood, bamboo, brick, mortar and a corrugated iron roof. Unfortunately the bamboo and wood have fallen prey to termites. A company for pest control has recently eliminated the termites after they have caused heavy damage to the building but now it requires repair. Bamboo walls and doors need to be replaced. The tin roof will be extended to provide better rain protection and cracks in the cement floor will be repaired.

We would like to realize the following achievements:

Project coordinates: 13.063964, 103.197759

Date: 29. März 2018