Education breaks the poverty cycle

Volunteer Building Cambodia Community Centre (VBCCC) focuses on education in a rural village where there are few opportunities to gain skills.

Located about 25 kilometres outside of Siem Reap VBCCC’s school teaches English language and computer skills to children and teenagers who have limited, or no, access to these classes at their own schools.

 Our school compliments the local Khmer school curriculum. English is the international language and necessary for most students planning on attending university as so many institutions use English language textbooks. It is also the language of the internet and will help with job opportunities in the future.

VBCCC has proved popular, with around 200 students attending classes every day. We are incredibly proud that our attendance rate is high and more than 50 per cent of our students are girls.

Education challenges

Access to education is still a challenge for lots of Cambodian girls, especially those in rural areas where many people still believe a girl’s role is to get married and have children, so education is unnecessary.

While the barriers to education are less for boys, they still exist, particularly in poor families where an extra income can make a difference to a family’s survival. While others still believe that if you are born a farmer you will stay a farmer, making education a waste of time as they do not believe it will change circumstances.

Fortunately our teachers are wonderful role models, proving that girls can do anything and those coming from poor families can realise their dreams and hope forhigher incomes and better futures.

VBCCC facilities

Volunteer Building Cambodia Community Centre functions primarily as a school, providing extra education for Cambodian children, to ensure they will have better work and study opportunities and will not flounder in an increasingly tech-driven world.

Our main focus is teaching English language skills. We have four classrooms, one library and a computer room as well as an office building. We employ four full time Khmer teachers and a librarian. Through our English classes we also provide education on hygiene and sanitation, the environment, planets and other interesting subjects.

VBCCC is located on the same land as our warehouse and we have plans to create a vocational training facility, starting with basic building skills. The intention is to help provide skills and basic training to adults in the surrounding villages, giving them greater opportunities to find work and be in a better position to provide for their families.

If you would like to change lives, please contact us for more information or make a donation.