Introduction
When the Khmer Rouge seized power in 1975, the rebels immediately abolished currency and private property and sent Cambodian city-dwellers into the countryside to work in the fields. Under the leader Pol Pot, the regime attempted to violently restructure the country as an agrarian, communal society. During his three year, eight month, and twenty day reign, out of a population of thirteen million, over 1.7 million Cambodians died of torture, execution, disease, exhaustion, and starvation. The Khmer Rouge eliminated most of the educated and business class as enemies of the state, and by doing so, destroyed the economy. No intervention was made to stop the effects of the genocidal "killing fields" until Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, ending the Khmer Rouge's rule. In 1991, the United Nations sent 26,000 peacekeepers, police and civilians to construct a temporary government and organize elections. After the elections, the Khmer Rouge resumed efforts to regain control. During the years from 1978-1989, over 200,000 Cambodian refugees fled their country. Many died in the process. After years of warfare and strife, Cambodians are still at work clearing thousands of land mines, creating commerce, and reviving their culture. 1999 was the first full year of peace in 30 years. Unfortunately, the effects of the Khmer Rouge continue today.
The current situation in Cambodia, while vastly better than the previous decades, still requires outside help for improvement. Although the constitutional monarchy is making progress, 80% of Cambodians remain subsistence farmers or work for low wages in food processing and forestry. (1) In rural areas, most have no potable water, phones, electricity, or permanent jobs, and many have little food. There are only six national highways in Cambodia, and rural roads are often impassable even on foot. Today, Cambodia continues to be financially and morally challenged by widespread corruption, the presence of one of Asia's highest HIV infection rates, and the support of thousands of victims of land mine injuries.
Educational Challenges
In just three years, the Khmer Rouge killed nearly all educated Cambodians. By 1978, there were no teachers, writers or scientists in the country. A whole generation of literate role models was eliminated. In its Millennium Development Goals, two of the Cambodian government's top major goals are to achieve universal primary education and to promote gender equality and empowerment of women.
According to the United Nations Development Program, 80% of Cambodians attend primary school; however, only 19% continue on to secondary. One of the obstructions to educational development is the extent of child labor. The vast majority of child workers in Asia work on family-owned farms in the rural areas, although child labor can be found in many other sectors of the economy as well. Indeed, children in Cambodia, as well as other parts of Asia, can be found in virtually every type of occupation - begging, scavenging for recyclables, baggage-carrying (porters), rickshaw driving, garment manufacture, carpet weaving, mining, commercial sex, fishing, brick-making, and construction work. (2)
Between the ages of ten and thirteen, 10% of Cambodian children are engaged in primary levels of labor. Between the ages of fourteen and seventeen, the rate climbs to 42%. (3) Half of all young girls and one third of boys work; as a result, for every three boys attending secondary school, only one girl attends. Some reasons for this discrepancy are that families consider a boy's education to be more economically rewarding, that over-educating a girl can be a handicap to marriage prospects, and that the likelihood of a girl's abduction while commuting to secondary school is great. Only 5.4% of Cambodian villages have a lower secondary school. Only 2% have an upper secondary. (2) Students who want to attend secondary school must walk miles to reach the nearest school.
Room to Read's Role
In 2002, Room to Read Cambodia was founded to address many of these educational needs and to help empower the wonderful people of Cambodia to rebuild their country. Our Cambodian staff currently consists of 19 dedicated people working with local villages. The staff there speaks the language, knows the customs and laws, and understands the issues surrounding the implementation of our various programs. They work diligently in partnership with the local communities to implement our programs so that Cambodian children have increased access to education.
One of the great educational needs was for affordable Khmer and Khmer/ English language books that would meet the demand of young readers and improve the reading culture. The Cambodian team organized a Book Development and Coordination Committee comprised of members of the Khmer Writer's Association and local NGOs. Together, we have published 57 new titles and distributed hundreds of thousands of copies to Room to Read's network of libraries and to other national schools as well.
Programs & Results
Our Cambodia team has chosen to focus on all of our core programs, except for the School Room Program. They have identified library construction, Khmer language children's books, and girls' scholarships as three of the most important improvements we can make to the educational system and have thus chosen to focus much of their work there. The following table highlights our Cambodia team's success to date:
| Program | Total Thru 2007 | 2008 (Projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Libraries Established | 996 | 123 |
| New Local Language Titles | 57 | 12 |
| Schools Constructed | - | - |
| Girls on Scholarship | 956 | 650 |
| Computer & Language Labs Established | 41 | 4 |
How You Can Help
"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver."
- Maya Angelou
Forever altering the lives of the children of the world by providing them with an education is an essential and attainable goal. Every human being deserves the right to the knowledge and self-determination provided by the ability to read and write. World change starts with educated children. You can make the difference by getting involved in one of the following ways:
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Donate to Room to Read Cambodia. |
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Help establish one or more libraries, sponsor a local language children's book title, sponsor a computer or language lab, or fund a long-term girls' scholarship in Cambodia. |
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Learn about volunteer opportunities with Room to Read. |
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Sign up for our email newsletter to get regular updates on the organization, our programs, and more. |
Room to Read Cambodia - In Detail
| Established | December, 2002 |
| Country Director | Mr. Min Sor |
| Number of Employees (as of 12/31/2006) |
15 |
| Office Location(s) | Phnom Penh |
| Regional Presence | Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Thom, Kampot, Phnom Penh, Preah Vihear, Pursat, Siem Reap |
| Key Partners | Association of School Aid in Cambodia (ASAC), CamboKids, Development Association of Cambodia (DAC), Don Bosco Foundation of Cambodia (DBFC), Enfants du Mékong (EdM), Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE), Khmer Writer's Association, Krousa Thmey (KT), Maryknoll, Mith Samlanh / Friends, NGO Education Partnership (NEP), People Improvement Organization (PIO), Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA), Soutien a l'Initiative Privee pour l'Aide a la Reconstruction (SIPAR), The Asia Foundation (TAF), Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) |
(1) Proquest Information and Learning Co.
(2) Human Development Report Statistics - Cambodia (2000)
(3) Asian Development Bank
