A school in Cambodia with struggling students, few resources, and poor hygiene has become a community-changing success thanks to donors who partnered with Food for the Hungry (FH).

‘Sad and Depressed’ to ‘Very Happy’

The elementary school in Thnorl, Cambodia, educates grades one to six in a wooden building with three classrooms and a metal roof. Grade one teacher Samoun says poor conditions at the school left him “sad and depressed.” But now, after nearly seven years of working closely with FH, he is “very happy” about the transformation of his school and community.

“We faced some problems such as lack of teaching materials, toilet facilities, not having story books for students to read, and students not understanding about body hygiene and attending school regularly,” he recalls.

The students were living in poverty, and their school was unable to meet their needs. Without community support and impactful funding, the students lacked proper education and discipline.

“They always threw garbage around because they did not know how to keep it properly. They did not know how to play nicely with their friends.”

Dissatisfied parents began withdrawing their children from the remote, rural school, which received little government support. The lack of learning materials resulted in poor student performance, causing parents to lose faith in the teachers’ abilities and the benefits of schooling.

Samoun and concerned teachers looked for partners to help and found FH, as Cambodia is one of 19 countries where FH focuses its efforts. He was impressed with FH’s network of experts and appreciated the initial collaboration with school management and teachers to address the root causes of the school’s educational opportunities.

Gains for Students, Teachers, and Administrators

Thanks to support from generous donors like you who gave to Multiply Your Donation, FH began to engage with Thnorl Primary School in 2017 and launched programs to clean school grounds, encourage bodily hygiene, and enroll students. The school did not have a library, so they worked with the local community to make one, providing books, a reading table, shelves, and a basket for toys and puzzles. FH also set up slides and swings on the school playground.

“Most of the students couldn’t read before. Now they can read well and enjoy coming to the library and spending time with their friends. They can read for the small students,” Samoun said.

“They study harder [and have] become more respectful to elders and everyone around. They love and care for one another. Their health is also better.”

Supporters and partners make it possible for FH to provide many training courses to teachers on topics such as literacy, numeracy, and library management — especially when their donations are matched 22x through the Multiply Your Donation program. School directors also received mentoring and coaching sessions on relevant topics. Monthly meetings facilitated by FH allowed community members to connect with the school.

‘Everything Has Changed’

Previously, people in the area saw little value in education. Anger and domestic violence were common, and many families migrated to Thailand in hopes of a better life.

“The members of this village didn’t have even one or two families that sent their children to attend the university before, but now everything has changed through FH program intervention.”

Samoun says training on safe migration, child protection, how to stop domestic violence, understanding the value of children’s education, and other topics had made a clear and positive impact.

“There is no more violence or arguments in my community. They have a good relationship, sharing with each other, and taking more care of their children,” Samoun says.

“I can see how happy the community is to see all these changes. They have changed their mindset by sending their children to school every day. Most of the parents are helping their children to study more at home, and also create a learning space for them.”

Hopes for a Brighter Future

Samoun hopes FH can continue to foster a more cooperative and educated community, curb migration, and build a good economy. He envisions a time when the transformation is so complete that FH can say its work is done.

“I want to see all children grow healthy and be the agent of change in all aspects,” he said.

“Those children will have a bright future and trade off to develop their community as a whole. The last one that I hope to see is that my community consists of their ownership and takes their own responsibility without any assistance from FH.”

The Transformation Continues

The transformation of Thnorl Primary School and the surrounding community is just one example of the exponential impact that can be made through Multiply Your Donation. When you give in this way, it is matched 22x on average through our government and agency partners. Together we can do more for more.