Education Programs
English
We offer English classes four times a week for one hour per day from Monday to Thursday, and teach living values on Fridays. Our interactive teaching materials include flashcards, games, and role play to make learning fun. Students pay a nominal fee of 2,000 riel per month to empower them to take responsibility for their education. Opportunity Scholarships provide textbooks, notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, and ID cards in recycled bags to financially challenged students who show commitment to their studies. Eligible students are identified in collaboration with local schools and villages, and must sign a contract to adhere to our Student Code of Conduct and maintain regular attendance.
Khmer
In 2014, we started Khmer classes for children in our community who weren't enrolled in public school. Ages 7-13, they studied Khmer and English for an hour a day. Progress was remarkable, and they successfully transitioned to public school, moving up in their classes. Later, we opened the program to students already in public school but struggling due to large class sizes. Now, we hold morning and afternoon classes so all students can progress. Our Director also holds workshops to improve teaching methods and make our program unnecessary in the future.
Preschool
Our Preschool Program began in March 2013, running for two hours a day, teaching reading, writing, teamwork, art, and good habits, while providing toothbrushing and soy milk snacks on Fridays. This program is vital to our community, where neglect is common due to parents' work. Preschool provides a safe environment and instills good habits and attitudes. It also emphasizes the importance of education to both students and parents, enabling them to enroll in Public School at six years old. At our Preschool graduation ceremony before Pchum Benh festival, each student receives a school starter pack to support their transition to Primary School.
Library
The library at Human and Hope Association is open weekdays from 2:30 pm to 5 pm and every Sunday from 8 am to 11 am. Our Education and Library Assistant manages the library and teaches students how to handle books with care, share resources, and improve their reading skills. The library is a crucial resource for our students, providing them access to updated information.
Students often use the library to practice their Khmer and English skills through activities like reading storybooks, completing puzzles, playing games like chess and Connect 4, and using flashcards and dictionaries. Every Friday, they are provided with coloring pages and pencils to engage in a creative activity. Our English and Khmer classes visit the library once a week for 30 minutes to practice reading under their teachers' guidance.
We organize a creative writing competition every year, and our Education and Library Assistant conducts workshops to promote teamwork and offer creative writing tips to students. The top three groups' stories are printed and displayed in the library for everyone to read.
Living Values
Every Friday, our classes delve into Living Values, exploring topics like children's rights, equality, hygiene, safety, money management, and friendship through engaging activities. These lessons foster positive attitudes and behaviour among our students.
Human and Hope Association identified a need to impart Living Values to our students, given the challenging home environments many of them face in Cambodia. Violence, alcoholism, and social issues plague the country, making it difficult for families to instill ethics and morals in their children. To address this, we introduced Core Student Values that include respect, punctuality, patience, cooperation, and a willingness to learn, which students can integrate into their daily lives and model for others.
In addition to learning Living Values, our students participate in a weekly community centre clean-up, which teaches them the importance of ownership and pride.
Art
In 2013, we launched an art class to encourage our students' creativity. About 20 students attend class on Sundays, led by our Education & Library Assistant and Sustainability Assistant. They mainly use recycled materials to promote eco-friendliness. The students are given a craft demonstration and then encouraged to add their own unique touch.
After completing their projects, the students proudly display their artwork in our study area. They then watch an English-language movie and enjoy a healthy snack of fruit grown on our farm. The art class has helped unleash our students' creativity, a trait often overlooked in public schools. By promoting individuality and critical thinking, our students have expanded their mindset.
Furthermore, the art class has helped attract more students to our English and Khmer language programs, providing education opportunities to break the cycle of poverty.
Hygiene
Basic hygiene practices are usually taken for granted in the Western world. In Cambodia, many people don’t know the benefits of properly washing their hands and brushing their teeth. At Human and Hope Association we regularly hold hygiene workshops.
The training sessions focus on basic hygiene practices such as hand-washing and teeth cleaning. Awareness is also raised about the dangers of using contaminated water as a cause of illness and disease, as well as how people can change their everyday routine to prevent getting sick. The workshops utilise engaging training materials and activities. A small hygiene pack is provided to every student who attends the training so they could put their learning into practice straight away.
In addition to this, we provide a bio-sand water filter in our study area so our students have access to clean drinking water when they are at school.