Dream Catcher Foundation
Scalettastrasse 19, P.O. Box 61
7270 Davos Platz
+ 41 (0)81 410 03 39
The twelfth project of Dream Catcher Foundation in Cambodia is the construction of the following primary school:
Prey Chas Primary School, Prey Chas Village, Srok Aek Phnum District, Battambang Province, Cambodia
The old dilapidated school buildings. The zinc sheet roof and the lack of ventilation mean that the classrooms are sweltering hot in the Cambodian summer. The dry wooden walls and the foundation are rotten and in danger of collapsing. Overall, the existing classrooms are very run down and no longer usable.
Project description:
Despite its growing tourism sector, Cambodia remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in Southeast Asia. Cambodia ranks 146th out of 191 countries on the Human Development Index (2021), which takes into account education, health and income. Development is uneven across the country and many rural communities remain impoverished, while corruption and self-interest hamper the country's growth.
Prey Chas Primary School is located in Prey Chas Village, Battambang Province, a floating village on the shore of Tonle Sap Lake. Founded in 1979, the village is now home to 1540 people from 322 households, most of whom make a living from fishing and work in the service sector. There is water, electricity and mobile phone connection, but the village does not have a local health center. The poor sewage system in the area contributes to a high risk of developing serious health problems, especially for young children.
Prey Chas Primary School currently has 353 students (205 boys, 148 girls) aged 6 to 12 and employs 9 teachers (4 men, 5 women). Constructed in 1999, the five-classroom wooden school building, housed on the site of a local pagoda, is in severe disrepair and rotting. The numerous cracks in the walls and floors seriously endanger the stability of the buildings.
To accommodate the increasing number of students, a temporary one-classroom building was constructed in 2020, but poor construction quality and the harsh Cambodian climate have quickly taken their toll. In addition, the students have to use the public toilets of the pagoda as the school does not have any toilets. It is clear that the existing school buildings pose a significant safety and health risk and can no longer provide a safe learning environment for teachers and students. Therefore, a new school building with five fully equipped classrooms and a staff room is urgently needed to create a motivating environment in which students and teachers can learn, teach, develop and thrive. The new school building will not only encourage children to be more involved in their education, but will also underscore the importance of education to the wider community. In addition, we will build eight new toilets to improve the sanitation conditions in the school, prevent hygiene-related diseases and thus reduce the school dropout rate.
The hot tin roof... The floating village of Prey Chas.
Implementation:
Prey Chas Primary School is a state-approved school. The government supports teachers' training and salaries, and provides the curriculum and teaching and learning materials. Our approach is to always involve the community in the project to give them a sense of pride and ownership of the project. For this purpose, the villagers have agreed to do their part by preparing the land for the new school building, laying an electricity connection, providing a water pump, two water tanks, two model boats as teaching materials, and organizing the opening ceremony of the school.
For the actual construction, we will work with a trusted local builder to coordinate all phases of construction and purchase all standard materials locally. Payments will be made in installments as construction progresses, with 5% of the total cost being held back for six months to ensure the quality of the work. After completion of the project, the municipality will be responsible for the upkeep of the school. However, we have to take into account possible delays during the construction work, as the school can only be reached by boat. Construction work is scheduled to start in October 2023 and be completed by March 2024.
Mid February 2024
In the dry season, the water level of the Lake Tonle Sap is no longer so high and construction work is now progressing on land....
Construction phase I is almost finished and everything is going according to plan.
March 2024
Construction phase II has already been completed. Everything is going very well...
Mid of April 2024
It has been plastered, the roof covered and painted. Construction phase III has already been completed.
Beginning of June 2024
This large, beautiful school has now been completed and the pupils can use it from now on.
The official opening ceremony will be on 5 November 2024. We are looking forward to it...
November 5, 2024
After an adventurous journey, we reach the pier of our boat on Tonle Sap Lake. We load all our equipment, sit on top and hope that it doesn't rain anymore...
Arrival at the school, everyone is already waiting for us in the "floating marquee".
The finished school was beautifully decorated.
The monks bless the school and all those involved, then the students sing the national anthem.
This is followed by various speeches by the governor as well as by Marc Jenny and Roli Brändli.
Many parents also came to celebrate.
The certificates and medals are handed out. Roli hands over our dream catcher as a symbol to the headmaster.
As a thank you, the children give us homemade garlands.
Afterwards, the red ribbon is cut. Our congratulations for the school are also recorded in the big book.
Group photo with some of the teaching staff.
We then go from classroom to classroom, where we give the children backpacks with school supplies. They are always very happy about this!
While we are invited to the celebratory meal, some of the students are already on their way home with their boats.
No one is too small to go to school...
