CLIP3 annual meeting and JICA area convention

The CLIP3 annual meeting 🙌

On December 5, we held our annual activity debriefing for the CLIP3 project. Just before the one-year anniversary of the project’s launch, everyone involved took the chance to share what TukTuk has been up to and present the results of the mid-term project survey we did back in September.

This time, we were joined by state, city, and county education officials, along with representatives from the state Department of Education. Some of them hadn’t heard of TukTuk before, so this debriefing was a great opportunity for them to learn more about what we do.

We had nearly 70 participants, and while TukTuk used to be a “small organization” with a small team, we’re now expanding our activities in Pursat and are starting to be recognized beyond the state, especially thanks to social media. Holding an event of this size made us feel proud and reminded us how much TukTuk is growing.

At the end of the debriefing, we broke into groups to discuss the challenges teachers are facing—things TukTuk has learned through school visits and conversations with teachers. By having the council and Education Bureau staff join in the discussions, we were able to give them a better understanding of what teachers are really experiencing on the ground. It’s a topic we can keep exploring, and we learned a lot from the conversations.

The JICA area convention 👩‍🏫

On December 14th, Mayu had the wonderful opportunity to introduce TukTuk's activities at the 'JICA Kyushu Block Meeting,' because she was the first JICA Returned Volunteers Social Contribution Awardee from the Kyushu area. This annual event brings together JICA staff and JICA volunteer Alumni Association members from all over Kyushu to chat, share ideas, and learn from each other.

It was Mayu's first time attending, and although she was presenting in front of many senior audience who have been involved with JICA and other projects for many many years, everyone listened with great interest and offered lots of encouragement. Some even took home several brochures to help spread the word about TukTuk’s work, which was really uplifting. We’re so grateful for the chance to present, all thanks to the Social Contribution Award.

Khmer of the month

Khmer Word: Maratong

In December, Cambodia gradually enters the dry season—though it’s still a bit cold! From December to January, the morning and evening temperatures drop to the low 20's °C, which is “cooler” than usual. This season, which is neither too hot nor too rainy, is perfect for marathon races, and many events take place across different regions. The most famous one is the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, where runners have the unique chance to race through the ruins of Angkor Wat. It’s truly a breathtaking experience to run a marathon while taking in the views of this World Heritage site. The event is held every year in the first half of December, and participants come from all over the world. If you enjoy running, it’s definitely something to try! 🏃

Khmer Food: Tuk Trei Ampil Toum (Tamarind-based sauce) 👇

Three months outcomes (Oct. - Dec. 2024) 🎉

The past three months have been busy for our teachers, with the long school vacation starting in October and the new semester kicking off in November. During this time, TukTuk has been preparing for a big meeting in December and working on a new picture book.

• Main Event
• December 2024: CLIP3 Annual Meeting
• TukTuk's Social Media Growth (still growing! 🙌):
• Facebook: 6,705 followers
• Teacher's Facebook Group: 5,906 members
• Telegram Channel: 3,423 followers
• YouTube: 8,936 subscribers
• Visitors to the Rermork Digital Library (For these 3 months): 38,077 people

The number of views on our social media has soared over the past year, and YouTube, in particular, is growing at such a fast pace that we might hit 10,000 subscribers by next year 🙌. Nowadays, even people in rural areas are using smartphones, giving children more opportunities to access digital content. For parents concerned about their kids spending too much time on screens, we’re committed to creating video materials that teachers and parents would be excited to use—making that screen time a little more educational.

You can find detailed activity reports for the past three months here.

Voluntuker spotlight | Our young illustrator

This month, we’re excited to introduce our young illustrator, the talented artist behind our new Tukbook illustrations! She is Adrian's first cousin once removed, and she’s been familiar with TukTuk for some time. Since she loves to draw, she kindly agreed to create the artwork for us. She says she’s a bit shy, but we still managed to ask her a few questions 🎤.

What do you like to do?: In my free time, I enjoy drawing and reading. I like to play with my friends.

Why did you want to draw illustrations for Tukbook?: I want to help children learn, and I enjoy using my hobby for something meaningful.

How did you feel about drawing storybooks for Cambodian children?: I was a bit picky, even though I was told not to stress about it too much.

What you hope for the picture book you drew: I hope it helps kids who want to learn!

Actually, the picture she is drawing for us is for a storybook that the TukTuk staff has written 😀. Each of us is creating a storybook filled with our own ideas. Some of these storybooks are already finished and will be available to everyone soon. Please stay tuned!

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

• Google Ads
• Fundraising
• Website Development

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, we promise). 😉

Get Involved ⇢

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