January 13

A van arrived at 7 am at out hotel to take Suezan, Sam, Juli and I to visit the village of Thmor Brochum. Joining us were Kimna and university students, Panha, Yari, Phors, Monica ,and Sophorn. It took us about two hours to reach the village which was in the newly created province of Tboung Khmum. (Until recently it had been part of the province of Kampong Cham.) Many of Kimna’s family are originally from this village and they provided much of the funding for the new pagoda. The village itself is located along a dirt track about 2 km off the main paved road. We approached past rice fields and water buffalo owned by the villagers. The village had a mixture of old wooden houses built on stilts and some newer models. As positive as the new construction seems, it is generally made possible by families pulling their children out of school to work in the factories in Phnom Penh and beyond. The purpose of our visit was to determine if it makes sense for CASF to establish a program here.

We met with the elementary school teacher who is responsible for teaching over 100 children in the village. We were invited into a classroom where a group of 5^th and 6^th grade girls had been assembled to meet us. Our university students used this as an opportunity to mingle with them and answer their questions about their lives and university experience in Phnom Penh. It is at the 5^th and 6^th grade level that children drop out of school to help support their families. With over 150 students in primary school, we learned that only 6 boys and 1 girl from the village are currently attending high school.

Kimna and her great aunt: Eternal beauty