Teaching very young people

A teacher teaching some very young people from her home. All that is needed is a whiteboard and a few benches. This is not part of the work of the charity, but interesting to see how educational situations are improvised in Cambodia. Life in rural Cambodia is quite different from elsewhere. To see what we do, go here.

The first thing children need to learn is the alphabet. Not so easy. The khmer alphabet has 69 characters. 33 consonants, 24 dependent vowels and 12 independent vowels. Often quoted as 74 characters, with some not in common use. Writing is very precise. Children learn to write clearly in straight lines across a page.

Houses are typically built on stilts – flood waters get very high. This house is about 100 metres from the river. The are under the house is being used as a classroom. 

Here the teacher will make a small amount of money from looking after the children and doing some basic teaching.