Students at a bush school in Cambodia now have two computers, thanks to the work of Glenbrook’s Doug Frewer and generous donations from the Blue Mountains community.
The Bush School was established in Siem Reap, Cambodia, eight years ago by Mr Frewer and his late wife Christine.
It now has 130 students from kindergarten to grade 10, who come from very poor families living near the ancient Khmer temples.
“Many of these children might otherwise go begging from tourists at the temples,” Mr Frewer said.
“The school aims to secure a future for these children by providing quality lessons in their native Khmer, English as a second language, as well as maths, local history and culture.”
A computer class has recently been added to the lessons, with two secondhand computers shared by the students.
“We hope to expand this class so that future students will have the dual advantage of literacy in English and basic computing skills,” Mr Frewer said.
This year the focus is on teaching methods, acquiring new classroom materials and attending to the welfare of students.
There will also be building repairs and the planned creation of a student meal room. Two meals are provided each week to the morning and afternoon classes.
“Poor nutrition is a problem for these Khmer children and we hope to increase the meal allocation.
“A sizeable portion of the budget is for the purchase of rice, fish, pork, and vegetables,” Mr Frewer said.
The school has a limited playground area, used resourcefully for volley ball, soccer practice and other ball games.
A soccer team has been formed and performs strongly in competition with other local schools.
A recent innovation is the creation of an improvised tennis court with some coaching provided by an Australian group working to promote tennis in Cambodia, Mr Frewer said.
This service is provided free of charge and is an unexpected gift to a poor community.
To contribute to the annual cost of running the school, a fundraising concert will be held on Saturday, March 10 at 7.30pm, at St Finbar’s Church Hall, Levy St, Glenbrook.
Featuring Blue Mountains Musical Society, they will perform items from their current production “Urinetown”.
Little Black Ducks ukulele ensemble and local choirs will also take part.
Tickets are $20 per person, $40 per family. Book online: http://tinyurl.com/ybqqh4tm or phone Doug on 0403 303 943.
More info at: bushschoolcambodia.com.
