Please read this very interesting CNN article  "Finding volunteer trips that actually help."

With the implementation of English programs, there now exists an opportunity for native English speakers to be of assistance as volunteers at the schools.

THE BASICS
We are a young organization and our volunteer program is an on-going work in progress.  Different volunteers come at the project from different angles, depending on their interests and abilities.  You don’t need any special qualifications other than being a native English speaker, love children, have a good sense of humor and be able to work on your own.  We ask that volunteers have at least one week (M-F) to give to their class.

A fee of $40 per day includes:

Notes:
• If there are two of you teaching in the same class, traveling to the school together and sharing a room, this cost would be for two persons.

• Costs may be reduced if you are staying longer than two weeks. 

• If your time here is shorter, we can often still find things for you to do, so please inquire via email with your dates.

• Note that schools in the countryside (where the need is greatest) are not in session during August and September. If you are coming during the summer holiday, we can organize summer classes if you can commit to two weeks or longer. Please email us directly about summer school programs.

THE PROGRAMS

1. Teach the teachers
The English-speaking Khmer teachers enjoy the opportunity to speak to a native English speaker. Their villages and schools are in the countryside where they have little opportunity to practice their second language skills.  Very informal classes are held at our guesthouse in Siem Reap. (5 days a week from 5:30 to 7:00) There is usually a group of 5-8 teachers who have good book-learned English; they can read and write well, but their reading comprehension and verbal/aural skills need developing. This is easily improved with simple conversation, reading, writing and telling stories, asking and answering questions.

The students have books called “English for Cambodians” which is a good tool for reading/comprehension/vocabulary, but we welcome the volunteers’ ideas about how to mix it up.  If there are teaching aids you want to bring or projects you want the teachers to do with the students, they enjoy that very much.  This is a good choice for someone who does not want to travel each day out to the countryside to teach kids, or who interacts better with adults than with children, or who wants to leave their days free.  This opportunity exists all year round.

2. Teach the students
Classes are held Monday-Friday 11am-1pm.  The teachers will be on hand to translate for you if needed.  We have a good library of exercise books at the PLF office and you can copy out exercises for you to use in class. We will go over the material the students are currently using in class and this will give you an idea of where the students are in their studies, but we encourage volunteers to use any creative lesson planning they find suitable.  Some volunteers bend the lessons toward art or music. For example, sometimes it’s appropriate to do a pull out session and teach composition to the more advanced students.

The Rural Schools:

A.  Tchey School is a primary school with approximately 800 children. It is on the road to the airport, about 12 km from Siem Reap.  It takes about 15-20 minutes to make the journey one way by tuk-tuk or moto.  Cycling there and back is an option if you are fit and heat tolerant.

B. Knar School is a more remote school, very close to Banteay Srei, the journey there being about 40 minutes each way via tuk tuk. The English program there is in its infancy, so the bulk of the class will revolve around learning the alphabet and learning basic conversation and vocabulary. Opportunities for teaching in the rural schools only exist from mid-October to mid July.

3. Teaching Basic Internet skills to teachers
A computer lab has recently been set up in the PLF Offices in Siem Reap.  There are 4 machines in the lab, all with wifi and all running Microsoft Office Suite.  Very informal classes can be convened to help the teachers learn how to search in a browser and find resources for helping them teach English, learn how to write pdf files of those resources, burn CD’s or copy to flash drives for printing.  They need continued instruction on how to use Yahoo email and skype.  These classes would be in the evening at the office. This opportunity exists all year round, depending on teachers’ schedules.

4. Miscellaneous
• Wat Bo School is in Siem Reap proper and has a music program. The teachers are always happy to have someone come and teach the students a new song. 

• We currently also have a need for anyone who knows how to do basic sewing and can show kids how to repair their clothes, make simple things like curtains and who isn’t afraid of a treadle machine!

• At different  times of the year, there may be a need to help the children with gardening, planting or harvesting rice, etc. 

• A great time to come to Siem Reap to help get school started is  the last week of September/first week of October.  There are many projects on the list for the first day of school at the five schools, food  activities, preparing the uniforms/supply bundles, among other activities.

1. Sponsor a Field Trip to the Temples
As amazing as it sounds, until we started this program, virtually none of the students at the rural schools has ever been inside the temples.  Many of them sell trinkets to tourists outside the gates, but have no idea about the splendor just inside or the rich and glorious history that belongs to all Khmer people.  The children are not taught history in primary school, so this is an excellent opportunity for the children to learn about their history up close and personal.

We hire a big Air Conditioned bus with a driver.  There will also be an English-speaking guide for you and a Khmer speaking guide for the children.  You will be picked up at the hotel in the morning and make the drive to the school to pick up the students.  You will tour the temples with about 20 children and their teacher.  Then a big lunch will be served either at Angkor Wat or in one of the eateries in town.  Many of the children have never been to town either so bringing them to Siem Reap for lunch is a real treat.  The total cost for the day’s outing is $400.  We invite you to go to the website and read a few accounts of these field trips in the "News from the Field ".

2. Sponsor a lunch or snack at a rural school
This can vary widely depending on your budget and which school is the beneficiary of lunch.  Sponsorship of lunch for 200-400 children is possible for about $1.00 per child including soy milk.  Snacks of bread and milk are also a big hit and cost is lower.  Contact us to inquire about lunch or a snack for a rural school. We need about 2 days notice to arrange it.

3. Donate needed items
There is always a list of things that our schools need.  If you’d like to go shopping with us for these things here in Siem Reap and then take them out to the school, contact us to send you the current wish list and we will make the arrangements.  You can also check the wishlist. Please note that we tend to be very sensitive about foreigners showing up at the school to haphazardly "give things to the children". We typically deliver these items to the teachers and let them give them to the students, not us.

About the Lodging:
You are invited to stay at our guest house while volunteering for the PLF. Ponheary and her family own the guesthouse in a good location on Wat Bo Road, live on premises and will look after you while you’re enjoying your stay.  You’ll feel as though you are part of the family.  There are tour guides and drivers in abundance living and working from the guesthouse so arranging a good quality tour of the temples or a driver will be simple.  The guesthouse website is set to launch October, 2009 Seven Candles Guest House. Meanwhile you can read reviews on Trip Advisor and look at some photos .

If staying at a guest house is not your thing, we can make arrangements at other hotels or you can also do this on your own.  In that case, $20 per day will be deducted from your cost.

Next steps:
If you want to teach, email us your volunteer form.  Please make sure your dates are firm before submitting.  If you want to sponsor an event, or are coming for a shorter period of time, email us with your budget and dates so we can make arrangements.

Thank you!

Contact:
Lori Carlson