October 4, 2010
Knar School, Siem Reap Provence
Today is the first day of school for Knar Primary school which is about an hour outside Siem Reap. This is the day the Foundation gives out uniforms and school supplies along with providing a hot lunch for all, prizes for last year’s first in class, and bicycles for those who graduated the 6th grade as well as top in class for 4th and 5th grade.
Two vans left the guesthouse at 6 am filled with supplies and food for 400 people. The cooks started prepping early for the kid’s favorite lunch, fried noodles with vegetables and chicken. We arrived about an hour later to a school yard filled with smiling children, setting up their desks outside for the day’s assembly. There were balloons and a music truck to provide entertainment as well as an audio system for the presentations. In the area behind one of the classrooms is an outdoor kitchen where lunch preparation was in full swing, along with the older students helping with the prep work.
We visited this school in 2007 and while it pretty much looks the same as it did then, there are some changes. The kitchen area has been improved, there’s a new fish “farm” next to the garden and a chicken coop. However, the older classroom building looks more dilapidated now, with entire sections of walls missing. Some of the kids here have ongoing medical issues due to recurring infections and we will return later in the week to address some of those issues.
The presentation of awards for the best students is always a highlight in any school and this one was no exception. A small crowd of proud parents were on hand to see their children receive awards; some were packages of books, …
