Staff and personel Changes

New Staff and staff changes

We have had a very busy time of it recently,  Lungdy, the Center’s Assistant Manager has moved on but we have promoted from within and Sokheang is now the Assistant Manager. To prepare him for the position we sent him to Phnom Penh for a course with the Attitude Center for Education ‘Essential skills for newly appointed Manager’ Serendipitous that the course finished the day before Sokheang started his new position.

Team building exercise

Sokheang has been with the Center for 4 years and is very well respected by the children, staff and the village.

First day as Assistant Manager

We also needed to raise the level and quality of the computer teaching, we used to provide a basic introduction to computers but there has been a need from the students to be able to go further, so we have employed a speciality IT teacher, Buntha into this position.  Buntha has a degree in IT and teaching experience with Mlop Tpang.

Buntha delivering his first computer class

The new and updated staff page can be found here

Toni Leaving

and the biggest news of all.  I am on my way back to Australia, I have enjoyed my time at the centre thoroughly and it has passed so quickly. I will miss all the children and staff very much.  In my place we have the wonderful Jennifer Hoggett taking over.  Jen has been volunteering at the Centre for some time and is in love with the children and the Centre and will do a wonderful job of moving the Center forward.

Jen working on a craft project with the children

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Goodwill Concert

The result of all the hard work from Daniel and Anna was to be a concert for the parents at the Goodwill Center.

We have no outdoor area to speak of and unfortunately the heavens opened and it rained, of course this is the monsoon season so it’s to be expected ! Instead of a mighty crowd, as we usually have when the children perform, we only had a couple of hardy souls but as they say in showbiz, the show must go on.

While Anna’s dance troupe were being face painted and getting their consumers on, Daniel wow’d the crowds, showing his guitar virtuoso style, doing a variety of songs.

We had a few costume malfunctions where a couple of the younger kids destroyed some of them and Nye and her team worked hard to get the costumes ready in time, doing a great job,

Then the kids came out. The costumes looked wonderful, Nye doing the translating for Anna, we got under way. Go girls !

Even though the rain nearly ruined the concert, the kids wanted to continue for the parents, everyone had a great time and a HUGE thank you to Anna and Daniel for the wonderful work they have done over the past 2 weeks. We have really enjoyed having them here and hope they enjoyed their time with us as well.

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Encouraging School

One of the projects I have been working towards for a few weeks is getting more of the poorest children to go to school. I has been working with Kolab, one of the Staff at the Goodwill Centre to help identify some of the poorest children in the village and using the funds from my organisation Help Cambodia. These are often the ones who have everything against them, losing one or both parents is typically the major contributor. The Goodwill Centre does a superb job of providing care for children in the community and access to materials and facilities they would never see elsewhere and access to free English language and Computer classes for anyone in the village who wants to improve themselves, the children still need to go to Khmer public school. Funds are however always limited, no matter how much Help The Cambodian Children raise, projects  that can be funded are a near bottomless pit.   One of the requirements to go to public state school is they must wear a school uniform. Some have no chance of affording that, so we identified six “at risk” children in the community who have stopped going because of that reason and went on a small shopping trip to provide them with a two uniforms, a backpack and minor supplies like pencils, pads etc.  A wonderful synergy between the The Goodwill Center, the local community and Help Cambodia.  The children are in the village, use the Center and can be monitored to make sure they attend and supplied with additional resources if necessary.

Kolab with the kids at the local Phsar (market)

In the “change room”, measuring up

Everyone into the Tuk Tuk to go back to the Goodwill Center

Back at the Goodwill Center for the obligatory group shot

 

Jen – Volunteering

We have had Jen Hoggett, an expat from the UK who now lives in Sihanoukville, volunteering for the last month at the Center.  We would have had info on her up on the site already but unfortunately our home computer with all the photos on it was stolen, along with the camera so apologies to Jen for not recognising her wonderful work sooner !   Like anyone at the centre, it’s not long before you are consumed by the wonder of the children, their energy and enthusiasm is overwhelming.  Jen has been helping with lots of crafts and working closely with Nye and Kolab in particular.

Jen, showing the children how to do water colours

Jen helped with a a diorama a couple weeks ago, using it as the opportunity to teach the children about the ocean and the creatures in it, unfortunately, they were the photos we lost, so we can only show you the outcome hanging on the wall.

“Underwater World” diaroama

Jen doing water colours with the children

The painting was so popular that we decided to have a competition, all the kids at the Center voted on the best paintings and here the winners are.

Watercolour painting competition winners

It’s absolutely wonderful having her at the Center and I am sure we will be seeing more of her there

 

Kazakhstan Volunteers

We recently have had two wonderful volunteers arrive at the centre from Kazakhstan who have been doing some great work with the children.  Anna who, amongst other things,  is a wonderful dancer and her partner Daniel, who plays some thirty different instruments has brought his flute, guitar and accordion to Cambodia with him.  They have both been wowing the kids, the staff and myself with their skills.

Anna, Ney and the girls in full flight

Working on the routine

Anna is currently working with one of our teachers, Ney, on a dance routine and Daniel is training the kids to do two songs.  The children will be putting on a concert at the centre for the parents and locals around the centre, everyone is very excited. Some of the parents have been coming down in the afternoon to watch.

Daniel with accordion and children