Libraries

A further project that I am working on is setting up libraries in Svay Rieng Province, this building is at a Pagoda about 15kms out from Svay Rieng, yes also a bad road (…is there any other way…?) it has a primary school directly next door, which has no library for the children, and the nearest high school is at least 10kms away, it is one of the sites I selected for a library set up, so following are a few before and after shots…

This is the room for the library, chosen because it’s indoors (not as funny as it sounds), has good security and can be accessed by the monks, the school and all members of the community. I worked to find furniture, posters, mats, whiteboard, clock and of course books, for the library and…

Vwalah… new library! We had an official opening it was fantastic and all the children and community appreciate it so much, whilst it only has around 200 books it’s been such a positive experience and I’m pleased to be able to say that it’s a project completed, however I have now decided to move onto other things and away from libraries, after my fourth one is completed mid-august.

What I have decided I really want to be doing is to work on programmes for children and youth especially at REDA as well as improving qualities of life, better housing/food/entertainment, so that is my new focus as of soon… This library here is the one I have established at REDA centre, the children in the photo are some of my best friends here they are all REDA children (from l-r) Ravy, Bory, Pole, Chariya, Sokun and Sokha.

And this is a third library that is a the current project, it’s at Chek (pronounced Jayk, translation banana) Primary School, and in the photo is the director and librarian, me and my translator Vibol. I’m doing my best to pull a serious Khmer photo face… can you tell?

These are the children reading from the primary school, I’m currently working to add books to the library and hopefully a few new posters furniture etc, the problem is that everything is donor driven and so while there’s copious quantities of aid money in Cambodia it is not readily available.


Here’s a quote from my diary that sums it all up quite nicely: “I know what needs to happen but I just don’t know what to do about it…. How can they afford to feed the fish and the frogs 3 times a day but only feed the children twice a day?”