During our April visit to Siem Reap, we met up with Phalla Chheang, a former Buddhist monk, who almost single-handedly has established a number of schools.
From his blog:
Cambodian Child and Hope Association (CCAHA) is a Cambodian non profit NGO providing educational services to more than 721 impoverished children in and around Preah Dak Village. CCAHA offers education, shelter, food, and safety to these children and more than 20 orphans.
CCAHA was founded by Chheang Phalla a monk and teacher at Wat Preah Dak in the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park area.
Almost all of the children attending CCAHA school come from a background of extreme poverty. CCAHA offers them classes in Khmer, English, and basic Buddhist teachings. For most of these children CCAHA is the only opportunity they have for shelter and education.
CCAHA is itself severely underfunded. Many of the schools do not have the most basic resources such as books, notebooks, pens and paper. All the teachers at CCAHA are volunteers both Khmer and foreign. Some of the classes are held in open air buildings.
Because of its relative remoteness CCAHA does not benefit from the support and many resources and donations made available to schools by tourists in Siem Reap area.
The children taught at CCAHA range from 6-17 years in age.
This cause aims to fund raise for CCAHA and reduce its remoteness by linking its present teachers with previous volunteer teachers and to attract desperately needed resources and qualified teachers interested in helping the children CCAHA serves.
Preah Dak village within which Wat Preah Dak pagoda is located is some 10 kilometers to the North East of Siem Reap.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&s…
Positions
- CCAHA offers food, shelter, education and safety to deprived children and orphans in outlaying areas of Siem Reap north of Angkor Wat
- CCAHA run schools in 8 remote villages: Preah Dak Village, Tatrey, Ottotoeng, Thnol, Tany, Khnar Sonday, Salakrovann, Runteak.
- CCAHA addresses the need for schooling in this deprived area allowing impovrished children and orphans their only access to welfare and education
See them on Facebook.