Dear Supporters,
Thank you again for your ongoing support and generosity.
There’s a lot of excitement at the Battambang School with the toilet complex commencing this week. You’ll be able to see from the photos that the community is really getting behind the project, doing everything from digging to moving large concrete cylinders.
You may also be wondering why the school doesn’t look as brand new as one might envisage. As Samantha Townend (GVH Operations Manager) explains “we just have to do it the Cambodian way.” Timber is an extremely precious resource and logging is a big issue causing significant loss of jungle in Cambodia.
The schools existing timber walls are therefore very valuable. With the structure assessed to be sound, it’s been decided that the walls will be restored instead of replaced. The timber walls just need to be water blasted - if only there was electricity to do this.. hmm! The timber will be cleaned, restored and prepared for painting so it can be more weather resistant. Windows will be cut for better ventilation, a new tin roof with insulation to be installed, and just as timber is precious on walls, it’s also as valuable in desks. Desks are being assessed so we know how many need to be replaced.
When school is made available and accessible the student numbers typically double, and that’s what we’re expecting at Battambang School. Once the facilities have been completed, and all the resources ready for use, we anticipate that the classes will be split into morning and afternoon sessions. Check out the photos and how crammed into the classroom they are. There’s no teacher to student ratios here. Just the opportunity to learn and thrive.
It’s less than three weeks to go until our Houses4Cambodia team head over to Battambang. Follow our journey and see all the photos at www.facebook.com/Houses4Cambodia
Best wishes,
From the teams at Houses4Cambodia & Global Village Housing