An educated population and workforce is a prerequisite for building a well functioning economy offering opportunities to all. Yet today, over 100 million children are still out of school due to poverty, including 59 million girls; one third of children out of school are children with disabilities.
I was in Siem Reap, Cambodia recently for a holiday. One afternoon, we decided to choose a fairly basic place to have lunch. So we ventured into this restaurant which serves both Western as well as Cambodian dishes. The prices are reasonable and for US$2, one can get a very decent hamburger and salad.
We tried Cambodian food instead and this person in the photo was our waiter. He was polite and cheerful and took our orders. He can just barely speak a spatter of English, enough to get by as a waiter. After serving us lunch, and since there were no other customers, he sat down a table just next to ours to study his English as seen in this photo. I took this photo of him, and I can imagine he must be thinking the day when he can speak good English and have a good education, the immense possibilities and a brighter future that will be his and loved ones.
One must understand that The Khmer Rouge government (1975-1979) systematically eradicated education in Cambodia, closing schools and universities, burning books, and killing librarians, teachers, and even people who wore glasses.
Following the defeat of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, the new government had to try to rebuild an education system basically from scratch, and the current state of education in Cambodia is still affected by this. The percentage of children completing primary school was also low, at 48%, and for completing lower secondary school was lower still at 21%.
On another note, there are a number of non-government organizations (NGOs) that are helping out with the education of children, particularly street kids and orphans. The Green Gecko project and the Sangkheum Center for Children are two Siem Reap-based NGOs that focus on providing a free education for children to help them avoid a life of continuing poverty and homelessness. Find out where the Green Gecko journey began on the streets of Siem Reap as Kim Suan shares her story in the video below. Click here for more of what Green Gecko project does.
If you are determine to do something significant and more specifically contribute to the education of the children in these wretched economies and make an impact to the lives of the young Cambodians, you can volunteer or donate to Gecko. Check out this link or use the donate button below.
I came across another charity organisation Room to Read by accident. Their vision is a world in which all children can pursue a quality education, reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world. Education is
To achieve this goal, we focus on two areas where we believe we can have the greatest impact: literacy and gender equality in education.
“Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life,
is essential to development and health,
and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.”
-Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General
Here is another video. Indeeed education is the key to fight against poverty.
Room to Read celebrated its 10 year anniversary with the opening of its 10,000th library in Nepal. Over the last decade, Room to Read has scaled exponentially to impact more than 4 million children in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia.
I am heartened that there are NGOs out there trying to eradicate poverty through education, especially for the children. You and I can contribute in a small yet significant way to fight poverty by donating or volunteering.
Yours for a purpose driven life,
Cheong
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