Launched nearly a year ago in an extremely poor community in Takhmao, Krousar Thmey’s supplementary English classes have proved a great success with children, families, and local authorities alike. Every day from Monday to Friday, around thirty children and teenagers gather in a small community hall and take an hour of English, taught by Sreyheng, 21, a former beneficiary of the Takhmao protection center, currently studying for a degree in English at Phnom Penh’s Royal University.
“A year ago, many of the children couldn’t speak or write English,” explains Sreyheng. “I taught them to spell simple words first, then more and more complicated ones. I’m very proud of their progress and happy to be able to help them with their future.” Viteka, 15, a student in Year 10, has been taking these courses since day one and says: “Here, I can concentrate and learn English seriously. It’s very important for me, because when I grow up, I’d like to study hard and become a lawyer.” Indeed, mastering English opens professional doors and enables you to communicate with people from all walks of life. “My youngest son, aged eight, has been taking classes here for several months,” says a father. “I had been able to pay for private lessons for his older brother, but it became financially complicated… Now, thanks to this initiative, I regularly find my two sons speaking English together at home.”
For DONG Chantha, a local leader and member of the Children’s and Women’s Committee, these courses also have a positive influence on community life. “Before, the children had nothing to do and often hung around unsupervised after school, in the street or even on the road. Now I see them hurrying to class and I find them calmer and more polite than before.” Sreyheng confides: “As well as English lessons, I try to pass on values such as respect and a sense of effort. These lessons will also help them in their future lives.”
Following this model, Krousar Thmey opened English classes in a poor community in Poipet last July.
