Cambodian School Project

The Cambodian School Project, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, has worked to educate poor rural children in Cambodia since 1994. It was founded by Sarith Ou who escaped the devastating Khmer Rouge genocide in 1975. On his first trip back to Cambodia in the 1994, Sarith found children attending vastly inadequate schools – or with no school to attend at all. On Sarith’s return to the U.S., he and his friends began planning to help these children, eventually building five schools and supporting two others. As of 2014 the Cambodian School Project educates more than 1600 students a year in its seven schools.

The Cambodian School Project has purposefully remained a small non-profit, serving just the students and communities of its seven schools in northwestern Cambodia. Its size allows close monitoring of how donors’ money is spent and the analysis of the effect of donors’ contributions: what percentage of elementary school graduates go on to high school through the bicycle program; how many students at JHP Skola are placed in and remain in jobs.

The Cambodian School Project’s original mission was to provide schooling for poor rural Cambodian children who had no school to attend. That vision has become holistic – digging village wells in each village where a school is built so students and their families have potable water.  Building a bridge over the Poum Steung river in cooperation with villagers so that students on both sides of the river can attend school during the rainy season. Providing new uniforms each year for all students (uniforms are the norm in public schools in Cambodia), so that they not only can attend school, but have a much needed second set of clothes.

CSP’s analysis of yearly data makes clear the long-term effect of CSP’s work. The 1996 United Nations State of the World's Children Report states that if a girl attends high school (not graduates, simply attends), her children are likely to have better nutrition and to stay in school longer.  This means the simple gift of a bicycle now to help children continue on to high school improves life for the next generation. A 2004 United Nations State of the World’s Children report explains that further education for girls leads to a reduction of child mortality, healthier families, and fewer maternal deaths. Both their sons and daughters are likely to attend school longer than they did. CSP’s emphasis on education leads to true community development and economic improvement.

Since the JHP Technical School opened in 2012, 95% of its enrollees have been placed in and remain in jobs. The money CSP students earn helps to support their families back in their villages.  But the effect of JHP schooling doesn’t stop there. Four graduates now work for non-governmental agencies (NGOs) near their village homes.  Soneang is interviewing farmers of nearby villages and entering their economic data in a computerized data base. This information will be used by other NGOs for planning economic interventions, to make sure their money goes where it is most needed for economic development.  Soneang is a graduate of our Tampoeung elementary school and of JHP Skola.

Bun Neth also travels to rural farms.  Like Soneang, she works around her home village.  She sometimes worries about how safe it is to travel alone, but courageously does so because her job is so important.  She finds farmers who want to start raising chickens.  She helps those who qualify to apply for grants from her HMO which will pay 50% of start-up costs to begin raising chickens.  This will increase food production, providing much needed protein in a very poor area. Two other graduates, in addition to their jobs with an NGO, have started their own computer business.

The Cambodian School Project has received a Gold Participant rating - its highest given - by Guidestar, a highly respected non-profit that provides free public information on each US non-profit registered with the IRS.  In 2012 CSP leaders Sarith Ou and Roger Garms were honored with the Global Citizen of the Year Award by the United Nations Association of Dane County, Wisconsin.

Please join us is changing possibility in Cambodia as we educate poor rural children and change individual lives, one by one.