Salariin Kampuchea

Salariin Kampuchea (SK) is a community school near Siem Reap, Cambodia, that gives free non-formal education to children and youth from disadvantaged families. Its name means "School of Cambodia." It is a nongovernmental, nonprofit and nonreligious organization, and it encourages the community to value education and parents to support their children's learning.

Organization details
Type	Cambodia aid
Focus areas	Salariin Kampuchea provides high-quality, free-of-charge, non-formal education to more than 300 children and youth from disadvantaged families in Siem Reap.
Country	Cambodia
Headquarters country	Cambodia
Cambodia operating location	Siem Reap
Operating status	active

History

Two Swiss women founded the school in 2004. They bought a building near Siem Reap and began teaching English and computer courses there. The school stands at Sala Lodge in Chreav Commune. In the spring of 2012 the International Initiative to End Child Labor gave Salariin Kampuchea an Emily grant for English classes for 225 disadvantaged children who worked in agriculture. The classes were taught through Volunteer Teaching Clubs in the villages of Boeung, Krosaing, Veal, Tacheik and Buskrolan.

Over the years the founders moved back to Switzerland, and raising money became harder. By 2017 Salariin Kampuchea had become the forerunner of a new learning center led by Ravy Vang, who put the school's remaining reserves into expanding his site. Vang Ravy, as his name is also written, is Salariin Kampuchea's executive director. In 2019 the school had about 300 students, aged four to 18, in five classrooms. That year it raised funds to lay tile floors in four of them, because the broken linoleum left the rooms full of dust. It relied on donations to pay its full-time teachers and its bills.

Programs

Students attend in their own time. English classes add to public schooling, with beginner classes for children as young as six and advanced classes for students up to 25. The school ties this teaching to jobs in Siem Reap's tourism trade. In computer classes students learn to type in English and Khmer and to use basic office software such as Word and PowerPoint. Life skills classes cover health and nutrition, career preparation and personal finance, and the school works with local businesses so that students can attend seminars and gain part-time work experience. In 2019 students could also learn Chinese and mathematics.

An annual football program draws students of all ages and genders and plays in leagues with other schools, organized by a partner organization. The school welcomes volunteers, and Writing Through has listed Salariin Kampuchea among its current and past partners in Cambodia.

See also

• Siem Reap
• All organizations

References