Rotary School of Cambodia

In early 2015, the Rotary School of Cambodia was built in Duanleb Village, in Kouk Pring communie in Svay Rieng province by a team of over 20 Rotarians and Friends of the Barrie-Kempenfelt Rotary Club and led by Mike and Mary Anne Kinsey.

Rural Schools in Cambodia are few and widely separated.  Many students must walk up to 10 km one way to attend school.  Most children come from large families where parents cannot afford the few cents in ‘school fees’ that it costs to send their children to school every day.  Children are also often required to help at home with rice farming or the small family business and cannot spend the hours required to attend government school.

As a result, many children seek education at a local ‘Free Education’ school – usually funded and operated by non-governmental organization (NGO).  At the Rotary School of Cambodia, English literacy classes are taught in one or two hour sessions throughout the day.  Basic sanitation are also taught at these schools, which is vital on village level.

In Kouk Pring commune, there are over 5225 children under the age of 15.  There are no Free Education schools in this commune.

In 2016 with the help of the Rotary Club of BEL, a second school building on site was built.