So,why Cambodia?
Because we want to help. It's as simple as that. End 1999, the
Yates family started supporting the "Reconciliation Area"
project in the far north of Cambodia - a difficult to access
area, which only in 1998 got out after decades under the Khmer
Rouge.
The program has
been going ever since.... and, led by superb work from Save the
Children (Norway) helped generate major financial support from
the Japanese Government across all of Siem Reap and Preah
Vihear Provinces.
The 1999 / 2000 dry
season was the first time these children got any real
schooling, yet 45-70% of the children still did not attend
school of any kind, even for one year.
The project
provides primary schooling, buildings, teacher
training using sustainable techniques, and library resources
for thousands of primary schoolchildren. One of the four
districts initially involved was Anlong Veng, 120 kms north of Siem Reap (Angkor
Wat), and near the Dangrek mountain range on the Thai border. A
focus area remains Trapang
Prasat, 34 kms east of Anlong Veng and quite near
the Preah Vihear Temple complex.
We extended to
Angkor Chum, closer to Siem Reap but even more
cut off in infrastructure (bad roads) and educational terms.
This is part of the Varin
district
where work is also proceeding.
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