In March we cycled 140km each day for 3 days to visit 2 schools by Child’s Dream, which were located in the most remote part of northern Cambodia. We cursed our way through sandy paths and off our GPS route through jungle terrain, praying not to be eaten by a tiger in the Kulen Prum wildlife sanctuary we were cycling through. We saw the current conditions the children are taught in; the village locals have built small huts out of bamboo & dried out palm tree leaves to act as a classroom under which 200 students need to be taught. During the monsoon months the wind & rain water disturb the lessons and in summer the heat is uncomfortable to concentrate in; all this in a malaria prone area.
The new schools built by the Child’s Dream charity follow government approved construction plans & designs. They are
made from concrete, have high ceilings for hot air to rise and large
windows for cool wind to ventilate through and altogether provide a
comfortable learning environment. Teachers are provided & paid by the government and the schools are also provided with
classroom furniture, toilets, a playground, a ground-water hand-pump for
drinking water and one school even has a solar powered battery charging
station, for producing electricity for use by the village! All in all Child's Dream aim to create effective, efficient & sustainable projects whose progress they continue to monitor.
In Cambodia:
45% of children just end up working in the fields for their parents
More than 50% of all school children cannot afford to continue their education after primary school (from the age of 12 onwards)
In Laos:
20% of all villages do not have a school;
Only 15% of the population have completed primary school.
Child's Dream also support a sustainable agricultural project; NEED-Burma. This Network for Environmental & Economic Development project is an attempt to act as a catalyst for progressive change in Burma. NEED's Model Farm Initiative (MFI) is a six month professional development training program in sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, community development & leadership for ethnic minority youth from Burma. The participants live, work & learn at the farm & training facility in order to implement these skills back in their country. We spent a day being shown around the farm, which is located only a short distance from Chiang Mai.
We also cycled up more steep side roads in northern Thailand, close to the Laos border, in order to visit one of Child's Dreams nurseries.
Our website has a photo page of all our visits:
Child's Dream images
Help us fulfil these children’s dreams!
Thank you to all of you who have already kindly supported the charity through your donation!
To those of you who haven’t (and promised)… - just think that as little as $5 will help support a child.
Please help by clicking on the link and making a donation: www.cyclingarchitects.com/donate
Whilst in Chiang Mai we cycled to the Child’s Dream headquarters and met
with the founders, with whom we discussed the options for which school
your donations could go. They confirmed that we could choose the country
in which we would like the new school to be built, & that it would be
possible to monitor costs, construction & follow all building stages,
including post completion.
We are currently in the process of choosing a Secondary School project in Laos. If you make a donation we will keep you informed of the progress over the next couple of years.
45% of children just end up working in the fields for their parents
More than 50% of all school children cannot afford to continue their education after primary school (from the age of 12 onwards)
In Laos:
20% of all villages do not have a school;
Only 15% of the population have completed primary school.
Child's Dream also support a sustainable agricultural project; NEED-Burma. This Network for Environmental & Economic Development project is an attempt to act as a catalyst for progressive change in Burma. NEED's Model Farm Initiative (MFI) is a six month professional development training program in sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, community development & leadership for ethnic minority youth from Burma. The participants live, work & learn at the farm & training facility in order to implement these skills back in their country. We spent a day being shown around the farm, which is located only a short distance from Chiang Mai.
We also cycled up more steep side roads in northern Thailand, close to the Laos border, in order to visit one of Child's Dreams nurseries.
Our website has a photo page of all our visits:
Child's Dream images
Help us fulfil these children’s dreams!
Thank you to all of you who have already kindly supported the charity through your donation!
To those of you who haven’t (and promised)… - just think that as little as $5 will help support a child.
Please help by clicking on the link and making a donation: www.cyclingarchitects.com/donate
Whilst in Chiang Mai we cycled to the Child’s Dream headquarters and met
with the founders, with whom we discussed the options for which school
your donations could go. They confirmed that we could choose the country
in which we would like the new school to be built, & that it would be
possible to monitor costs, construction & follow all building stages,
including post completion. We are currently in the process of choosing a Secondary School project in Laos. If you make a donation we will keep you informed of the progress over the next couple of years.
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