Library Project
Turning Pages in Cambodia
Ensuring education access is crucial in Cambodia, where high illiteracy rates persist. Kamboo Project addresses this challenge by launching the Library Project, initially covering four primary schools and aiming to expand further with additional funding. Through “mobile libraries,” the project seeks to foster a love of reading and combat illiteracy among Cambodia’s rural youth, driving transformative change from within. Vision: Cambodians work together to meet the basic needs of children.
Background
Ensuring education access is a critical mission!
Education is the cornerstone of a country’s economic prosperity. In economically disadvantaged countries such as Cambodia, the labor force predominantly comprises unskilled physical workers, contrasting with the service-oriented, skilled labor typical of wealthier, Western economies. The key distinction? An illiterate population.
Idea/experience to date
To uplift Cambodia’s predominantly rural population and enhance their quality of life, Kamboo Project strives to bolster educational opportunities and remove barriers to reading. Access to information serves as a crucial tool in propelling Cambodians towards these goals.
Taking these considerations into account, Kamboo Project aims to create “mobile libraries” designed to ignite a passion for reading among Cambodia’s youth. Inspiring a love of reading is critical to fermenting the next generation of educated Cambodians equipped to drive transformative change from within.
Central Challenge
Improving the availability and magnetism of education
Like many other developing countries, Cambodia suffers from high illiteracy. A whopping four in five Cambodians 35 and over are illiterate, based on initial field surveys conducted by Kamboo Project.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Education, the dropout rates for elementary school, middle school, and high school students in the country are 7%, 20%, and 15%, respectively. The high drop-out rates can be traced to poverty and the non-availability of educational materials in remote areas. Additional challenges impacting school attendance include limited internet access, inadequate funding, and a scarcity of education-related infrastructure – such as public libraries – in rural regions.
Progress
Initial schools see successful rollout of Library Project – expansion sought
In 2021, Kamboo Project launched the Library Project to tackle illiteracy at its roots. The initiative began with just two schools: Soung and Sna Sangkream Primary School in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province. In 2022, Kamboo Project broadened the project’s scope by incorporating two additional primary schools: Wat Roka and Chea Smon. By year’s end, Kamboo Project aims to include 20 more primary schools, pending additional funding. Generous financial support to date has been provided by the SE Asia Foundation.
Implementation and monitoring
Our main goal is to improve the quality of life of disadvantaged children, youth, and people in rural areas by investing in mobile libraries that will improve literacy rates among rural communities and promote reading as a popular pastime.
We will transport and rotate the most captivating books among schools to maximize their accessibility and impact across a broad range of educational environments.
The implementation of the Library Project will proceed as outlined below:
- 1) Delivery of New Books: Ensuring a fresh supply of captivating books to engage young minds.
- 2) Design of Reader-Friendly Libraries: Creating inviting spaces that encourage exploration and learning.
- 3) Empowering Learners through Engaging Activities: Organizing reading-related events and fun activities to spark interest.
- 4) Hosting of Regular Reading Contests: Fostering enthusiasm for reading through friendly competition.
- 5) Conducting Regular Check-Ups with the School Librarian: Consistently assessing progress over a 6-month period to ensure alignment with our goals.
Budget
A funding target of $500 per school per year will cover all the costs associated with transportation and books, as well as a small stipend for the local officer in charge of the project. The proposed budget will look as follows:
| No. | Project Activities | Cost | Quantity | Schools | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buy new books based on the needs of school children as the Cambodian context | $0.5 | 500 | 20 | $5.000 |
| 2 | Gasoline for traveling Tuk-Tuk | $10 | 10 | 20 | $2.000 |
| 3 | Stipend for library project officer | $200 | 12 | 1 | $2.400 |
| Total amount | $9.400 |