{"id":454,"date":"2009-03-08T20:14:45","date_gmt":"2009-03-08T12:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rice4life.sg\/bulletin\/?p=454"},"modified":"2009-08-26T07:13:49","modified_gmt":"2009-08-25T23:13:49","slug":"special-announcement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rice4life.sg\/bulletin\/news-updates\/special-announcement\/","title":{"rendered":"SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT"},"content":{"rendered":"

To all Friends of Khvien around the world:<\/span><\/p>\n

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In recent months, we (Margaret, Martin and Robbie) have become increasingly concerned at the financial plight of the seven teachers at <\/span>Khvien<\/span> <\/span>Primary School<\/span>.\u00a0 They get $50 USD \/ month which is not enough to live without worrying about what they will eat.\u00a0 A bag of rice is $30 USD.
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\nThe teachers in the past have been taking money from the students to contribute to their salary.\u00a0 It was how they could afford their rice\/petrol for the month.\u00a0 Although they didn’t take a lot from the students it was from families who have very little to start off with and would be a discouragement to the parents to sending their children to school.
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\nAt a staff meeting in January all the teachers committed themselves to adopting a policy of forbidding the soliciting of money from students. This was accepted as being motivated by what the Bible teaches us, i.e. to avoid \u201cthe love of money\u201d which is \u201ca snare\u201d. The village understand that our own love for them is in imitation of Christ, who first loved us.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The corruption in schools is an everyday part of life for Cambodian government schools.\u00a0 If <\/span>Khvien<\/span> <\/span>School<\/span> remains corruption free it will be one of the only few government schools in the province of its kind, possibly the entire <\/span>Kingdom<\/span> of <\/span>Cambodia<\/span>.
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\nThe school has now been corruption free for 6 weeks.\u00a0 The principal has agreed to dismiss any teachers if they take any more unwarranted money from the children.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Still, we have compassion for these hard-working and lovely teachers who show a real heart for the village children. <\/span><\/p>\n

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You can see pictures of them by following this link: http:\/\/www.rice4life.sg\/photos\/gallery\/?level=album&id=8<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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How can they be helped?<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Plan<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

To supplement the teachers \u2018income\u2019 by supplying each teacher one bag of rice per month. The teachers only to get rice at the end of the month if there have been no reports of corruption from our contacts in the school.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our reasoning<\/span><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from the above, we have the precedent set by Dr Beat Richner at the Kantha Bopha Hospitals established on the basis of being corruption-free, where staff are paid good wages and the mentality of corruption can be undone.<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.beat-richner.ch\/<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.beatocello.com\/Assets\/richner_present.html<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By supporting the teachers:<\/span><\/p>\n