Five months on...

Five months on and I find myself reflecting on the remarkable experience in Cambodia and the wonderful people who are now part of my life and the life of my family and many of my students at school.

On return to Australia I set about organising a program that would allow people here to take an active part of the education and development of some of Cambodia's less priveleged and disadvantaged children. 

The program now boasts ten Cambodia students ranging from 13 to 18 years and close to twenty Australian participants. Weekly those involved converse via Skype on all manner of subjects that are both improving the Cambodians' command of the English language and stretching the minds of all involved culturally and socially. The reports from some of the Australian participants is overwhelmingly positive; one student often includes her mother in the conversations as her mother was profoundly touched by the Cambodian student's story: one of hardship, isolation and maturity established through independence at such a young age. Reaksa is only 14 and lives without parents - her mother lives in another city and her father is away with the military. Furthermore, Reaksa cares for her younger sister who suffers with leukaemia. Therefore, Reaksa's days are spent organising her sister's regular hospital visits and getting herself off to school for as many hours as she can. She also attends the free school at night and participates in this program to give herself a brighter future. She is a remarkable young girl who rarely is seen without a smile on her face despite her adversity; something I think Australian students gain a lot of insight from in their conversations with her.

Despite the positive progress made in just five months, the program has one continuing demand that needs to periodically be addressed: the technology. The program relies on functioning technology and this will always require funding. When I was in Cambodia in December 2013, I used a great deal of the fundraising conducted prior to the visit to repair existing computers and buy other things such as microphones and headphones. Furthermore, I directed the remaining funds into the school's internet connection and ongoing costs related to this. Now, information is coming in that the computers that only three of the five computers that were able to be repaired after the monsoonal flood damage are still functioning. This has created congestion in the computer laboratory as the number of Cambodian students participating in the program increases.

Therefore, I am beginning a new fundraising initiative to raise enough funds to supply the school with five new laptop computers that can connect wirelessly. I also hope to increase the capability of their wireless internet connectivity in order to make the program more sustainable and allow for future growth as new students come on board. As part of the fundraising, I am republishing the details of the account set up specifically for Cambodian fundraising. So if you find it in your heart to donate, please transfer the funds to the account details below and I will personally deliver the funds and make the computer purchases when I take my family over to Cambodia in 2015. Thank you in advance and on behalf of the children of VDCA school Siem Reap, Cambodia. 

Bank account details:

Bank: WESTPAC BANK

Account name: RYAN JOSEPH SLAVIN

BSB no.: 034017

Account no.: 130843

Thanks again,

Ryan