Dear Friends and Followers of our NGO,
A good idea… dedicated members… working projects – why does a small NGO like ours need something like a re-branding? If you do the right thing, the name and logo are not so important. It should be about the content and the results you drive. But its not always so clean and simple.
United Asia Charity is a good name, and it could have been created using a classic dictionary of international aid or development organizations. But for us, it seems too big. For some, the word charity has an undertone that points in the wrong direction. As we have grown and developed, we have realized that name does not represent who we are and what we are trying to do.
We notice this disconnect when we introduce ourselves using this name. Our projects are very practical, we work in a specific region of the world, and we are committed to our projects, partners and the region for the long-term. Our aim is not just to start many projects, but to carefully choose where to invest our resources and keep those projects running sustainably. Our name should not imply that we will change the world. Rather it needs to reflect our focus on sustainable grassroots programs and a commitment to the culture where our programs are focused.
Big charities seek to improve the world by driving big changes with their resources. To do this, they must move mountains. But the saying goes, people do not stumble over mountains, but over molehills. The molehills we care about in our small organization are located in Cambodia, in the region of Siam Reap. We are connected to the people there and their culture. We want to show this connection and commitment with our new name and our new logo. It has a different tone, maybe more subtle, but with a new and different point of view. Our new identity aligns with who we are, the change we are seeking, and the culture of Cambodia. Welcome to the Kamboo Project!
The School of Kromom Bol
The village Kromom Bol belongs to the poorest communities in the district Svay Leu in the Northwest of the country. Just over 800 people secure their lives here mainly through small farming for their own needs. There is no significant infrastructure, the place is far away from the nearest city and difficult to reach. Accordingly, there were virtually no resources available to repair the severely damaged school in the village. From the roof of the building only remnants were present, there was virtually no protection against sun and rain.
Kamboo Project is by and large the only NGO that actually carries out projects in the villages of this region. Our team on site – Chann, Pisey, Khan Ra and Dara – has accompanied the planning and work at the school. Just under $ 3,900 was earmarked for the repair work, most of it for a storm-proof new roof.
The project set out on July 11, 2018, and building work was completed on time and budget on August 9. Today, the school is basically repaired and has 5 rooms. These provide education for 215 pupils and jobs for their 6 teachers, plus 2 teachers who have safe rooms where lessons are taught and pupils can study also outside of school hours.
School principal Loun Mom is pleased with the high-quality repair on the local scale and emphasizes the importance of education in the rural areas of Cambodia. People recognize the importance of school for children. Even before the renovation, lessons had continued to be restricted. Loun Mom expects the role model of Kromom Bol to spread to the whole district and welcome the help of the Kamboo Project Education Initiative, especially as funding from other sources is generally unavailable.
Kamboo Project will continue to accompany and support the school in Kromom Bol.
Coaching for teaching staff in Siem Reap
Anyone who is committed to education in Cambodia, naturally would think first thing of the children and a basic education, then perhaps of secondary schools. It is easy to overlook the people who turn schools into educational institutions: the teachers. Further education, didactic training, tips on building lessons and much more are hardly achievable for them.
This is where Helen Kolly comes in. The Swiss teacher and talent expert from Murten, Switzerland, learned about Kamboo Project in the summer of 2018 and became acquainted with the management team. Apparently a convincing contact, because a little later Helen is in Cambodia and works with English teachers for ten days. She gets to know the Hun Sen Prasat Bakong High School (at Eulork village, Bakong commune, Brasat Bakong district, Siem Reap province)selected by Kamboo Project and discusses the course and contents with the participants before starting her further education and coaching course. With a focus on cooperative learning arrangements.
Class management, forms of group work for students and cooperative forms of learning are on the agenda. In Switzerland, intensive work is being done in these areas – Helen is transferring to a completely different school environment at the other end of the world. Again, she is convinced by the warmth of the local Kamboo Project team, which receives her on the first day, and by the concentrated work and interest of the participants in her course.
Helen makes empowerment in Siem Reap in the best sense of the word, and she also takes a lot for herself back to Murten. “It was a great experience for me. The work together with the Cambodian teachers, the exchange and also the cooperation with the employees of Kamboo Project enriched me very much. I wish the whole team a lot of success, a successful start to the new identity and hope to be able to become an active part of one of the great projects again soon.”
Thank you, Helen!
Best regards,
Your Kamboo Project Team
