Blue Bird Education Cambodia
Activities 2014
Volunteer students carried boxes of donations.
Volunteer students carried boxes of donations.
January
BBE went to Koh Trung Island on the Mekong River. We brought donated gifts from the general public and stationeries entrusted by foreign organizations to distribute. A boat to Koh Trung can be found at a center of Kratie town.
Gifts were distributed at Koh Trung primary school. A child sketchbook is common in Japan but it’s not in remote communities here. Color papers and water paint, too, we need explain to children how to use them. It’s more preferable if we can play together and grow their interest toward those materials.
Secondary school covers from 7th grade to 12th grade.
Secondary school covers from 7th grade to 12th grade.
March
First, BBE brought stationeries to Roka Kandal Primary School.
Mechanical pencil sharpeners have appeared in big stationery shops in Phnom Penh, but children in provinces generally use a small simple pencil sharpener. Children were very curious to see how to use it. Since it was the first time, for some children it seemed difficult to hold the sharpener by one hand and others got confused which way to turn the handle.
In this school there is a teacher who can teach Origami, so we distributed Origami, too, with other stationeries & office materials.
Next, BBE gave a lecture of AIDS and of morality at Krakor High School.
The students have learned some knowledge of HIV/AIDS and of secondary sexual characteristics, while some contents were new for them such as sexual networks.
We encouraged students’ active participation and reflected their adolescence changes in daily life together. Psychological differences between genders and their increased attention to their appearance were interesting points to review.
Teachers including the principal attended from outside of the classroom.
After the lecture we asked students to sum up what they learned and to present it.
We obtained food &supplies for children in Kratie town. It was raining in Kratie town.
Staffs from Kratie Youth Federation cooperated with BBE. They helped carry goods and teach children how to play.
We obtained food &supplies for children in Kratie town. It was raining in Kratie town.
April
April is a month for Cambodian New Year and has a national holiday.
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BBE went to Koh Chreang island to bring food & supplies and to teach traditional New Year games as an extracurricular PE lesson. Most children in the island don’t know how to play those games. This should be a good opportunity for children to concentrate on senses that they don’t usually use and to broaden their imagination.
BBE cooperated with Kratie Youth Federation and commune leaders in the island to carry out the program. Higher grade children participated more actively while lower ones were shyer. But they all enjoyed. We will be happy if children’s quality of life shall become wider as they know these kinds of new games.
in Prey Veng province
The rainy season has begun. Children play around in the rain.
Children leave straws into a cup of their own grade: yellow for boys & pink for girls.
in Prey Veng province
June
After sending clothes donated from Japan to Koh Chreang island, BBE researched one primary school in Prey Veng Province.
Prey Khla Primary school is located away from a town area in the province, but the school has good water systems: tap water for washing hand & drinking-water provider.
Around here also it’s common for people to use well water. Though they dig a well, they rarely check the quality of the water. Seeing a groundwater quality map of Cambodia, however, the safety level of well water is not high. In poor communities, people’s priority is food. There may be many people who just care if water comes out, not if the water is safe.
A NGO donated the drinking water provider to the school. In many cases, donated things are not properly managed and then fretted with rust and broken. But the water systems seem to be used properly here. Teachers are now looking for funds to protect the machine from winds and rains.
Library system is also advanced in this school.
The library open hours are divided for each grade. It’s not compulsory, but anyone of the grade can come and read within the designated time on a day of the week.
Children leave straws into a cup of their own grade after they use the library.
BBE donated some amount for building a water machine protection as well as for enhancing their library education.
August
BBE supported a meeting of Scouts & Red Cross. BBE has had them involved in our activities with health and moral educations.
Scouts & Red Cross have programs to support local communities and sometimes students themselves have to lead community people. In such a case it’ll be advantageous for the society if students have appropriate knowledge and experiences. That is our idea.
BBE held a meeting as an opportunity to share their activities, to understand how each student think, and to mutually stimulate.
They also experienced to reorganize their system by themselves for improvement.
* Some contents of the meeting were noted with pictures.
Because of too much water, the boat jetty changed its location this time.
September
BBE was requested to give an educational support to children in Koh Chreang island, where BBE had been supporting with donations and medical services.
We had 3 classes to talk about morality and how to think things. The commune chief, the school principal, and a vice principal also attended to the first class. It was the period of ancestors festival in Cambodia, so we talked about the meaning of tradition, too.
Before talking about social problems, we found that many children didn’t understand why they need to study. On the other hand, parents usually recommend their children becoming doctors or teachers just because those seem promised jobs. Children don’t know the value of learning, and opportunities for them to enhance their creativity – having a dream to become a pilot or patissie – are not common, either. We felt again the necessity of improving the education system.
BBE had time to think together with children, having some episodes from teachers why they became teachers.
Japan medical team taught about cardinal & respiratory sounds to medical students and interns.
Mothers were happy to see their children learn to wash hands.
Japan medical team taught about cardinal & respiratory sounds to medical students and interns.
November
Receiving medical teams from Japan, BBE supported a training for Cambodian medical students & interns. Students learned more detail knowledge & technics of detecting cardiac & respiratory sounds.
During the service activity, internships and those with an appropriate license joined to examine patients. They immediately put what they learned into practice, which looked so hopeful.
We also provided hygiene advices & prevention measures of lifestyle-related diseases to those patients. To children who came around the site, BBE gave washing hand education.
Students very willingly and happily assisted the medical team.
The medical team says that the biggest pleasure as a medical staff is that he/she can help people without compensation. We hope the medical students can feel such an emotion beside attaining new knowledge & experiences.
šššDonors in 2014 Thank you very much for your contribution.
Hida, Y., Ms. Clothes, Daily supplies
Ishii, R., Mr. Paintings
Machida, T., Mr. Books
Noda, N., Ms. Paintings
Nose, H., Ms. Books
Nouchi, N. Ms. Paintings
Otuka, S., Ms. Stationeries
Takahashi, A., Ms. Education materials
Takeda, R. Ms. Toys
Yabe, R., Ms. Toys
Yahata, N., Ms. Books, Education materials
