Facilities: Lack of electricity/No piped water/UNICEF supplied biosand filters in classrooms/Library with well managed bookshelves (provided by Room to Read)/ Playground/Toilet (2 units)/building with 5 classrooms/Well (water quality questionable)

It has a clean grass compound in front of main building though a large area behind is under rice cultivation during the wet season by the Principal. There is a water pond behind the main building which is used to water the garden and rice fields.

The school is accessible by a dirt road, 15 mins from Stuong town located on the National Road No 6 from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. Dirt road is lined by a linear settlement of mixed thatched and simple concrete houses surrounded by rain-fed rain fields. There appears to be 2 Buddhist temples in the vicinity. The villages do not have basic facilities like electricity and piped water. Nearest medical facility is at Stuong town.

According to the Principal, the school well is also used by the villagers nearby for their water consumption.

Potential Project for Groups

The main issues relate to the general problems faced by all rural schools in Cambodia – water and electrical power.

Water Storage

During the dry season from Nov – May, the water level falls below the water table and dries up altogether by April. Even by December, the state of water quality has already deteriorated creating potential threat of water-borne diseases. Thus water issue poses as the most urgent need to be addressed. The most effective solution would be the construction of a water storage system where rain water can be harvested and stored in underground tanks. This will prevent the water from being polluted by animals, algae and air-borne dirt. A potential site would be the old classroom.

Solar Power

Cambodia has gone a long way towards rebuilding its education system after the abolition of schools during the Khmer Rouge regime.

New schools have been built, hundreds of teachers have been trained and enrolment has been increasing steadily in recent years. But according to data from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the country hasn't achieved universal primary education, and completion rates remain low, especially for girls.

While it is not possible to power a whole school due to economical reason (plus sustainability is an issue due to extreme poverty), it is viable to consider donating and setting up solar panels to power a PC or two. This can be set up in the library so that pupils can be encouraged to upgrade themselves academically in order to compete with other pupils especially those from urban environment. With a higher education, it is desired that pupils be given the opportunity to excel and achieve higher standard of living.

Basic Education Needs

The school lacks many basic amenities such as stationery and uniform. Also basic first aid items are lacking though the nearest hospital can be found in Stuong town (15 mins' drive).

The library appears to be a new unit and doubles as the principal's office. Voluntary group can consider a fresh coat of paint for the main building consisting of 5 classrooms.