Using local labour, supported by Australian volunteers and funded by our Club the project took about 2-3 months to complete. These 4 photos show the initial building of Koung Tonle Kroum (KTK) Secondary School.
As with most large projects there are always hic-ups and just prior to one of the visits made by Stevie to assist with construction, KTK experienced damaging floods.
Our Club provided assistance to the village via a donation and whilst Stevie was over there she organised the delivery and distribution of 4 tonnes of rice that was given amongst 400 local families.
The families were invited to the special “rice giving ceremony” and waited patiently all day until their name was called out and they were then given a sack of rice.
It was a great day for celebrating and the village people were made very happy indeed as these pictures clearly show.
Once the school building was completed Stevie, with Club support started the process of applying for a Rotary Matching Grant to supply and install computers and classroom furniture into a designated computer classroom within the new school building.
Due to lack of any electricity in this village, the project members planned to set up solar power panels on the roof to power the computers and office equipment of printers and an overhead projector for classroom instruction.
All computers and furniture was bought in Phnom Pehn and delivered and installed by local people.
These pictures show the actual computer centre that eventuated from our Grant given by Rotary International.
Stevie travelled over to KTK once the computers had been delivered onsite, and along with George Hendry they took a group of local “Sth Gippy schoolies” to help familiarise the children with their new computers. This was a wonderful experience for both the local KTK children and our own Aussie children. Amazing cross cultural respect and fun had by all.
The children now have 15 computers, 2 teacher laptops (all with both Khmer and English keyboards), a classroom projector, 2 colour printers, and all the office equipment and supplies needed to service the classroom for a long time, plus desks and chairs and cupboards for storage.
We also organised a designated computer classroom teacher for a 2 year period, to teach the school children and all the teachers. This appointment is drawing to a close and we are happy to know that all teachers now are computer literate and competent. They have taken ownership of the need to look after the equipment and keep up computer maintenance.
Fibre optic cable was installed along several kilometres of roadway to secure internet coverage. Just supplying the computers was not enough…. they needed to have access to the WWW.
The children have their own facebook page and are avid emailers now.
The Project has proven to be a wonderful success for this community.