Buy a brick! Help build a school in Cambodia

“Education is the most powerful tool that we can use to change the world’  Nelson Mandela


I am in Cambodia with my husband Kelty and 10 year old son Taran, helping out at two schools building, teaching and sharing our skills wherever we can. 

Why we are doing this?
We wanted to take a year out to do something different.   We also wanted to see some of the world we hadn’t visited, to show Taran other countries and cultures and to contribute a little if we could.  We met Juan Ros through our business back in the UK and he offered us an opportunity to visit his projects out in Cambodia.

Juan has spent much of the last 8 years travelling and working in various Asian and African NGOs.

He has now set himself a lot to do in Cambodia and he is passionate about it.  He has succeeded and continues to create self-sufficient schools providing basic English language education and life skills to the disenfranchised of Cambodia.  In essence an alternative education system for those unable to access good schools. 

It arises from AHHA an educational program established by Dr Madenjit Singh in Malaysia and Timor and with whom the central figures in Juan’s organisation and Juan himself spent some years before setting up independently in Cambodia.

Where we help?
We are helping in two of the schools.  Both operate entirely outside a “broken” state system and in both Juan claims that the preparationthe students receive is so superior to that available elsewhere that his students are guaranteed employment; either in a network of partner employers or elsewhere after matriculation.  An important path beyond graduation from his schools is to come back as a teacher and then be supported in return through a part-time university education.  And this works – we have met the kids and they are an impressive, delightful bunch and now have confidence, hope and prospects.

Part time or day schools – Juan has set up three of these with his Cambodian partners/friends and we have been helping with the construction of the fourth.  They are all based in rural communities.  We spent a week living in the home of Thea  and his wife Veasna.  Thea used to work in Kentucky Fried Chicken in Phnom Penh and proved himself to be very capable.  His passion is to provide a better education for his community so with the help of Juan and volunteers he is building a school room at his house.  We witnessed his dedication as we lived with him and his family for a week.  I helped sand and paint the toilets and Kelty and Taran got stuck into some brick laying and also taught a class every day.


Thanks to the sustainable project model Juan is confident that this school will continue to expand and become better and better for many years to come after the initial construction. In the long-term it will help hundreds of families to ascend out of agricultural poverty and make their dreams a reality.


Boarding Schools 
Setting these up is seen as the most important goal of Juan’s project. They offer an education to students who live in areas so remote that none would be available locally.  In Cambodia 81.2% do not have upper or secondary education.   These boarding schools reach out to these kids and offer this education virtually for free (they only pay for food). 

We are helping in a boarding school setup by Sova and his wife Friendly outside Battambang.  They are an inspiring couple, who have dedicated their lives to housing and educating approx 100 kids a year.  Both feel passionately that education is the route to a better life.  These kids become part of one big family.  Not only do they learn English but also life skills.  There is also student inclusive commercial activity to raise funds for the school eg. Importing herbs, organic agriculture.  They have just cleared a pond so they can farm their own fish.  They also have long term plans and with Juan have recently acquired land for growing their own rice and possibly some kind of eco-resort.   

In both places, the schools are built and run by the communities they serve and by Juan’s partners and by the volunteers they welcome.  English speaking volunteers are especially welcome as they effectively underpin the English medium curriculum.  Donations are accepted for capital building costs but it is a central tenet that the schools must be able to fund and manage themselves before the institution is complete.

Where you can help?
We would appreciate donations of any size according to what you can afford - Juan guarantees that he will make even the smallest donation go a long way!  We are here and can see very clearly how it is helping.  No volunteers are paid.  The money only goes towards the schools. 

If you are kindly supporting please say which of these following projects you would like to donate to or let me know if you want Juan and I to decide:

Buy a brick - £5
Thea’s school needs another $5,000 to complete the build, buy desks, chairs, blackboards and school stationery.  Once complete it can run sustainably without any more financial donations.



IT Room and Laptops
At the boarding school, Sova and Friendly want to build an IT room (the students build this at the end of the school day). They need $15,000 to complete this but beyond that they are also looking for donations to buy 25 lap tops. 

Thank you.   Thea, Veasna, Sova and Friendly would also welcome you at their schools at any time either to visit or volunteer.   It’s a very rewarding experience either way.

 Jo, Kelty and Taran