Season Greetings from Canada!

Wishing all you in Cambodia and around the World a very Happy, Healthy and a Prosperous New Year 2017 – a year filled with love  and joy !  

We miss you and often talk about the good times that we had together ... :)  

In early May 2017,  Kevin and I plan to venture off once again into the unknown – we’re absolutely thrilled!   We’re in the midst of creating a new blog for you to follow our ongoing adventures and, will send it  to you as soon as it's ready ...

On that celebration note, wishing all you a wonderful January 2017, happiness and lots of laughter …

Much love,  Alice / Kevin Chandler xo

More later ... :)

Short précis on our Cambodian experience ...

Savy (our landlady) had the foundation  of her new house blessed by Monks 

It’s 7 o’clock on Wednesday morning and it’s another baking hot and humid April day!  Beads of sweat build on our foreheads, and are equally sneaking their way down the grooves of our spines.  Despite the sweltering heat beating down our sizzling bodies, group hugs and more group hugs are intertwined with the community:  with the landlord - Sukhon and landlady - Savy who’s tears roll down her cheeks, who’s sweat is soon tangled with ours.   Chatter and laughter is heard in the background from neighbours and locals who too line along the side road ready to wave us off …    to see us being whisked away by Virak Bumthum Express minivan.   All the while, the driver entertained by this curious site – a theatre of humanity, patiently awaits at our usual spot – the driveway of our home, for Kevin and I to mount the minivan.    April 13, 2016, was the day that we left Mondulkiri, the little community that was our home for the last 30 months (an incredible experience it’s been),  and whom at some levels, we’ve got to know so well!

Humble homes

As the main street, the Bunong market, the rolling hills, the humble homes drift by my window and fade away into the horizon, I’m reminded of the day we were accepted by VSO/Cuso International; to our almost 2 hour Skype interview with a VSO Country staff in Cambodia who asked us, ‘What burning questions do you have before you come to join us?’  We simply wanted to know:  the ability to deal with a different life style in rural Cambodia.   At the tail end of the interview, John, our interviewer, had referred us to a ‘well-seasoned’ VSO Cambodia English couple who stated that, ‘There is no such thing as a

Fun ICT Cuso/VSO volunteers

typical day in the workplace. Instead, to expect the unexpected…    

Once in Cambodia, we, together with a fun group of other new VSO/Cuso International volunteers, had an ‘In-country Training’ in Phnom Penh to learn about ‘life in Cambodia’ .   The training comprised from a cyclo orientation tour in the heart of Phnom Penh to a health care session with an English nurse who warned us that ‘Cambodia was a dangerous place to live in  … ’  because anyone who touched Cambodian soil would naturally fall in love with the place!   

Kevin, Anie and I

Cyclo tour in the heart of Phnom Penh

During our 4 week training session, we soon got a taste of Phnom Penh’s  charming chaos– of the insane traffic where motorists: tuk tuks, cyclos, bicycles, cars, motorbikes drivers holding between 3 to 5 passengers  (with children sandwiched between two adults), drove insanely in different directions, making it tricky to cross the congested streets.    Sidewalks were just as hectic, where food vendors and vehicles blocked footpaths, leaving little room for Barangs 'that's us' to manoeuvre around the pavements. You'll find that it's the expats who prefer to walk and the locals who prefer to drive.  Welcome to Cambodia!   

The beautiful hills of Mondolkiri

Fishing at the Sen Monorom man made lake

Before we knew it, we were heading to our initial 20 month  placement, to the poorest northern-eastern province in Cambodia.  Mondulkiri province!  Mondolkiri is a 400 kilometres - 5 ½ hour minivan ride north from Phnom Penh.    The excursion to Mondolkiri, the topography that changes with the 2 seasons is composed of three main parts.  Unlike the dry season where the terrain appears desiccated, our first stretch - to Memot, is characterized by  flat rice fields (the primary staple diet of Cambodia), that stretches for miles, that resembles fresh grass due to the rainy season.  The second bit of the landscape - to Kaov Seima, is replaced with rubber tree plantations, pepper and  cassava farms that line the National road.   The last portion of the journey’s landscape from Kaov Seima to Mondulkiri’s luscious scenery, my favourite part, is 800 metres in elevation.  The rolling hills defines Mondulkiri’s terrain with dense forests,  preserved parks, hidden waterfalls, to carpeted  lush rolling grassland dotted with humble homes and bright coloured attire working in the hills.  Hence, the beautiful hills of MondulKiri! 

Kevin and I arrived in Mondulkiri at the tail end of the avocado season, the tail end of the monsoon season in early October 2013 - though,

Bush fires on side roads 

it felt at that time that the rainy season was never going to end.  By early November, the wet saffron-red clay roads eventually progressed to a fine red talcum powder-like dust,  that equally became treacherous to ride our motorbike on.   The landscape had turned to a red plume of dust with a multitude of bush fires spread out on side roads of Sen Monorom Town (where we were based) and villages (where I worked).  

LaoKa Village School, Sen Monorom District 

During the transitional stages of getting settled, we found a house within a week of being in Sen Monorom Town.   Kevin quickly found work and taught English as a second language to NGO staffs and to other locals who were interested in pursuing their English further…  As for me, I hired a Khmer Translator within a week of our arrival.  Met some very important people with my partner organization: the Provincial Office of Education  aka POE.   My POE Khmer partner and  colleagues welcomed me with open arms and had the good wisdom to place me, an English speaking person, under the same roof as them, to place me with my six Khmer/Bunong colleagues,  in hopes that we’d communicate in Khmer/Bunong/English.   Slowly, but surely it worked!.  

Lem Mas Village School, Bousra Commnune , BuCh'ri district 

During the early phase, I was introduced to local schools, administrators and community leaders across Mondulkiri to  observe classes in action, exchange ideas, listen to what they had to say in order for us to assist and support them in the best possible way.   As a Primary Education Advisor, I was assigned to help strengthen the education system; to work closely alongside teachers and school directors in order to help improve the quality of basic education , to help increase access to education for a better tomorrow …  

As luck would have it, our initial 20 months placement  rolled out to another adventurous year  in Cambodia.  As a result,  it gave us, my Khmer /Bunong colleagues, an opportunity  to resume to the ‘Love of Reading’ and other projects that we were in the midst of tying loose ends with.   More to the point, to simultaneously continue to ‘pluck’ away with a much different needed project: build the capacity of POE staffs to be more effective in increasing school enrollment, And, to improve the sustainability of higher school enrolment across all grade levels from grades 1 to 12; in particular, in poor and isolated rural Bunong Communes. 

A beautiful Khmer woman selling her produce in Sihanoukville

Aside from working, we had some wonderful trips in Cambodia,  mainly visiting Kep, Kempot and Sihanoukville indulging to different foods that we would not have experienced in Mondolkiri.. 

Why did volunteering work for us?  We had a sense of adventure,   kept an open mind and had fun throughout our time in Cambodia. The warm weather off course was a huge help.  What's more, we truly enjoyed working and living among the local people who were full of energy and hope;  and with friendly POE staffs, State/Community teachers, school directors and cluster chiefs who do the best they can with limited resources.  Most importantly we got high support from family and friends who followed us on our Cuso/VSO blog and sent us a number of emails of appreciation on a regular basis – It was like having them with us!  

We’ve now been in Canada for 4 months and we’re really enjoying food that we took for granted before leaving for Cambodia.  We also have relished playing catch-up with our family and friends whom we love and spend much 'fun' times together.

A graceful Bunong lady who worked at the POE

During our time in Cambodia we were happy with so little – materialistic things didn’t mean much to us.  We also learned a lot about ourselves:  We’ve become more laid back and when someone’s late we don’t fret :)  

What’s next? We have continued to support the POE with the Enrolment Campaign.  Khmer - Bunong stories from our book are expected to air on the Mondolkiri local radio station in October 2016 . See Note below as to how we trained POE educators across Mondolkiri province whilst there: 

Khmer - Bunong stories will be broadcast on the Mondolkiri local radio station in October

Trained teachers, school directors, cluster chiefs, POE staff and village chiefs on the document ‘The Road to Prosperity –my education –my life’that was printed in January 2016 on the value of education.  The training  was done in two parts:

1 . The first part of the workshop consisted of, ‘what sustainability in the school system looked like?  This included: 
a.     Keeping children in school,

b.     Equity (gender) and inclusion - with a focus on marginalized groups who face gender, disability, cultural and linguistic barriers to education, as well as to ensure that Indigenous minority groups, primary age children in targeted Bunong districts can access a quality education

c.      How to best implement this tool, these activities in the classroom to raise awareness on the value of education.  

2.     The second part of the workshop entailed:

a.      Why children dropped out of school?
b.      What educators and the community can do to overcome these problems?
 

Because we fell in love with this amazing place, I’ve no doubt that we’ll return there someday soon. In a nutshell, we were fortunate and very lucky to have been placed in the beautiful hills of Mondolkiri. 

More later :)

Love of Reading

... Using the BETT Reading Programme throughout the schools in Mondolkiri province

Before the change:  Between 2009 – 2013, small village school libraries – BETT Reading programme throughout Mondlokiri province, were ‘partly’ set-up  with minimal follow-up by a variety of NGO’, including VSO and the POE.  These 17 small reading libraries were underutilized because:

.         NGO/POE visits were inconsistent to assess any type of adequate literacy progress.  Furthermore, they did not provide additional books or educational materials and more for teachers and students to use (with their teacher or independently )…

.        Both teacher  librarians and teachers were not trained to use ‘literary’ books adequately

.        Teacher Librarians, teachers and students were unsure how these books were linked to the Khmer/Bunong Language Curriculum

.        In some cases, either libraries were locked up or books were used as trophies – thus collecting dust ….

.        Books were not properly categories to their appropriate reading level

.        Teacher librarians and teachers had little to no indication as to how to use a variety of simple follow-up /reading assessment tools - such as using simple rubric tools,  for the: before, during and after a reading session …

.        Funding had dried up … and much more 

What changed?  We (VSO together with the POE),  provided  Khmer/Bunong teachers with both a 6 day literacy Love of Reading and a 4 day library training workshops at different

times  of the year

.        We also gave a 2 day  (reading/library) training and follow-up throughout the school year to both school directors and cluster chiefs

.        As well as giving the Khmer/Bunong teachers the opportunity to do a 4 week cycle / to do their practicum after each training, to implement the new tool in the classroom, we did regular follow-up by working closely with teachers/school directors and cluster chiefs after each training to ensure that they confidently understood how to execute the reading tools and how to use the aforementioned tools independently in the classroom.  (E.g.; BETT reading flashcards, Big book, library books linked to the curriculum, using the MoEYS guidelines,  library checklist  for reference- etc.).  Once teachers felt confident in delivery the reading programme, we did observations to assess their progress .

What are teachers presently doing to follow up with the reading programme?  Teacher librarians are now providing a meaningful library and BETT reading services for their schools.  

.        Teachers (through time) began to understand how to use the MoEYS  (Ministry of Education Youth and Sports) reading guidelines in their schools

.        Time schedules have been created between teachers and librarian teachers 

.        Posters are hung on library walls to entice students' interest

.        - School libraries are no longer locked up and anyone (including the community) can use the library (Eg.: Teachers have created a time schedule for students and the community to use the library during school hours and after school)

.        - There is peer to peer support for the Love of Reading  programme (E.g.; Some teachers have collapsed classes for shared reading and are doing this daily)

.        Teachers are showing students, how to use the '5 finger method ' for choosing a book appropriate to their level and, for them to: 

o   expand on their repertoire

o   create passion and, love of reading

o   Gave them choice and ownership in their reading

.        - Reading flashcards, questions after reading are now used to generate conversation and critical thinking

.        - Library books are now linked to the Khmer/ Bunong curriculum and teachers are using

simple child friendly activities  to expand on their students’ learning. Activities example: 

o   adding a different sentence to the story,

o   writing a simple poem –

o   role play characters in a text

o   use a situation from a text as a springboard for creating their own story

o   enact age appropriate story from students lives parallel to a situation on a flashcard and more

.        Teachers included an element of competition and /or involved short-term goals for the activities to engage children in reading books

.        Time was given for review and reflection following the  child friendly activities and in their Khmer lesson

.        Students received positive feedback from their Khmer/Bunong teachers

.       

unannounced school visits were done periodically to find out if teachers were doing their 4 week practicum after the workshop training.  They did ...  

How did the change happen? Regular follow-up visits: ongoing coaching, mentoring, empowering

Books are categorized to their appropriate level

teachers and instilling their confidence 

.        Visits were consistent to assess progress

.        We (VSO) provided Teaching Reading Resources:   New additional books (Spear) were delivered to all school libraries.  Updated reading and library manuals, check list, BETT big books and other BETT teaching materials for teachers to use both in the library and in the classroom were provided.

.        VSO provided Teachers, school directors and cluster chiefs with a complete guide / Library manual.  (This included the MoEYS guidelines), educational materials and much more …

.        Teacher  librarians, teachers,  school directors and cluster chiefs were now trained to use ‘literary’ books adequately – BETT and Language Khmer/Bunong Curriculum linked to library books

.        Teacher Librarians, Teachers and students had become familiar with the use of library

books and are now beginning to link them to the Khmer/Bunong Language Curriculum

.        From being trophies and collecting dust, books are now being used by students, teachers and the community ….

.        Books are now properly categories to their appropriate reading level

.        Librarians and teachers now use a check list and a simple rubric to use a variety of follow-up assessments for the: before, during and after a reading session …

.        VSO funded the Love of Reading and Library combined projects with the POE/DOE’s support

Who was involved in providing and supporting the 'Love of Reading' programme? BETT developed by a Belgium NGO together with Khmer Room to Read NGO,  VSO, POE, DOE, cluster chiefs

Was the 'Love of Reading' meaningful? Teachers showed increasing interests in their students’ learning, and  used the child friendly approach / student centred approach. As a result students showed considerable interest,  improvement in their learning  and understanding which extended to other subjects. In some cases, higher student and lower student achievers worked in groups achieving better results - as appose to letting lower achievers manage on their own  .        As a result of building the capacity of teachers and POE staffs,  meant that their  interests were directed to long life learning: An incentive in their professional development, to work closely with students and much more ...  .        Initially, the POE asked for VSO support, because not only that they saw a need for teacher librarians to keep their libraries open, but to proficiently use their library  using the BETT / Khmer literacy programme  and the MoEYS guidelines. .        The POE also had asked VSO to have training workshops that link ed both library books and the BETT Literacy programe to the Khmer Curriculum, which we did in two parts. Furthermore, beginning of each training session, Tim Sangvat,  POE director attended several of our training workshops to empower and encourage Khmer/Bunong teachers to use the school’s PB budget, available to them at any time, should their require additional resources and alike for their library and /or their classes.   What does the future hold for teachers and students ? It is hard to know what will happen in the far future.  .        It is likely that for now, teacher librarians will continue to run the library BETT/ Khmer literacy programme more proficiently with the continued support of POEs, DOEs and cluster chiefs staff .        Teachers will also continue to use the simple literacy activities and assessment tools .        POE (with  UNICEF's support) plan to continue to provide meaningful literacy workshops for teachers and teacher librarian.  As I speak, POE and VSO (that’s me) we jointly did several Grade 2 literacy training workshops during the 2014 - 2016 school year using VSO - BETT simple activities and assessment tools.     Next year, POE staffs are planning to do an updated Grade 3 Khmer/Bunong literacy training workshops linked to the new library books .        POE, DOEs, cluster chiefs have also encouraged teachers to continue to link the Khmer / Bunong curriculum to the various genre in the library

My experience as a volunteer? VSO /Cuso International organizations have had a huge impact on me. It’s been a joy and a privilege to work in the beautiful hills of Mondlolkiri with dedicated people at the POE and with VSO volunteers/staffs.   My experience  has been indeed very positive on many different levels;  I was challenged and inspired by the successes I saw at the school villages:  watching the success of Khmer/Bunong teachers, watching smiling children, the builders of the future, explore endless possibilities through play and school work, watching them clap and squealing with delight when a classmate gave an answer to name a few;  Connecting through the hearts, the minds of the people and feeling part of the community in an age where neighbours in other parts of the world, have little time for each other; having fun of course; and of course, there's never been a dull moment as I reflect on these almost 3 incredible years.    What’s more, I found that awareness and understanding is necessary for change.  I’ve learned so much from the Indigenous people, the POE, VSO/Cuso International.  I leave with so much gain from all you :) I leave you with this quote ‘It was through volunteerism that I learned one of the greatest secret of life – that our sense of self worth is defined not by what we get from the world, but  we give to it.'

 

More later :)