Preschools stay closed, face-to-face meeting, CLIP2 plans

School opening was delayed again？！🏫

In the last issue, we mentioned that the schools were opening in November...BUT...middle of the month, they decided not to open preschools again because of vaccinations. In Cambodia, the vaccinations for 5 years olds started in November but not for 4 or 3 years olds. It was decided that the students who got vaccinated can come to school but if not, they can't.

The preschools we partner with have joint classes of 3 to 5 years olds so it was hard for them to have the actual classes. Therefore the teachers decided to keep distributing worksheets and letting them study at home. Every country has dealt with the pandemic in its own way but it is especially challenging for underdeveloped countries like Cambodia. Providing teaching materials has definitely been the most valuable input we could have done over the past 2 years and we are proud of the results that we have achieved.

Finally face to face meetings👨🏽‍🏫

In November, with infection rates down, the government started to allow large groups, such as big meetings, weddings, and religious events which were prohibited before. This allowed us to hold a face-to-face meeting, which we have been holding every month online, for the first time since the start of the CLIP project in January! We were able to report on our activities in October to the directors of Education Department in Pursat province and districts and the principals of the target schools.

By actually seeing everyone's faces and talking, we were able to receive a lot of advice and useful opinions from the participants on TukTuk's activities. We will be able to inform you in more detail in the next month's issue and these opinions will be reflected in next year's activities ♪

Khmer of the month

Khmer Word: Khnhom chng ban...

Christmas is coming soon! Is Santa Clause coming to you? 🎄You have probably already done your Christmas shopping but in case you need to buy some last-minute Christmas presents from your local Cambodian shop, 😊, you can use this phrase. "Khnhom Chng Ban ... (I want ...)!!!"

Khmer Food:

Ambok (Rice Flake) 👇

Looking into 2022・・・🌟

The CLIP project, which started in January this year, will finally end this month. Right now, all the staff are working hard on the final reports and last minute teaching materials.

At the same time, we are preparing for next year. We were lucky enough to receive funding for the next two years, as "CLIP Project 2 (CLIP2)". The Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown in Canada and Rotary Club of Pursat in Pursat Province have been amazing this year and will continue to support us for the next 2 years. Although the budget only covers half of our expenses, it means we need to rely on private donations a bit less and which is a welcome relief with everyone struggling currently and donations dropping.

In our preparation for the new project, we went to interview the district officers. After that, we gave a presentation to the Department of Education in Pursat Province about the outline of the project plan, and got approval. A few more new schools will join CLIP 2 and new activities as well so we are looking forward to what we can achieve in the next two years.

Tukstaff spotlight | Leakhena

This month's TukTuk staff spotlight is shining on Leakhena, who is the our official office organisational queen.

• Favourite things： To teach math to my children. To check online and try to find new worksheet ideas for preschool.
• What I do for TukTuk： I make worksheet instruction videos and visit target schools and speak with teachers and officers.
• A word for everyone： I will try my best so the Cambodian teachers and children will get a lot of knowledge and have their own opinions.

Leakhena had her third baby early this year and came back to work in June. She is a reliable staff member and works really hard. She checks Cambodian national news and education news every day, so "Ask Leakhena about the latest information!". Also, many of her family members are teachers so she has a lot of connections with the Department of Education which is a bonus for us too :)

We are currently looking for volunteers with the following skill sets to help TukTuk bring educational resources to Cambodia;

• Google Ads
• Fundraising

If you want to get involved or know someone with skills that could help us spread positive education in Cambodia, hit that link below and say hi (we're friendly, promise).

Get Involved ⇢

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