CHECKING IN AT KESSARARAM PRIMARY SCHOOL

JULY 10 - I prepare for this day with high emotions anticipating familiar faces in familiar places. For me the question is always "what difference do we make?" Kessararam Primary School in Siem Reap Town is such a place. Summer 2008 we put a well with Afridev pump (high volume use model) at the School for the 1507 students grades K-6 and 42 teachers. May 2009 we installed 10 sinks in 10 classrooms for teaching and practicing good hygiene.

Because of poor funding for Cambodia's Ministry of Education and because foreigners prefer to help rural schools, many needs of larger city schools go unmet. Kessararam Primary School ("KPS") is prone to frequent flooding from runoff from more recent development on all sides which built up the land before building on it including a large pagoda on the south and National Hwy 6 along the front/west. It seems there is always standing water on the school grounds...in rainy season as much as a foot...no way to get from the street to the school or from building to building except through the water. This year is not normal rainy season, in fact no rain for days at a time so there is minimal water on the school grounds right now. KPS is hoping for landfill. This project would cost $13,000US. I write about this and other issues but I am mindful of our primary focus on clean water, good hygiene and sanitation, adequate and safe food, and education to improve health, reduce disease and death, and improve outcomes for a good future. I always listen politely and ask questions to get enough information, but when necessary as in this case I explained to KPS the primary focus of our work in Siem Reap Province.

KPS has 9 buildings, 1 building with school offices and a library and 8 buildings w/5 classrooms each, 2 of concrete covered brick and the remainder of wood, all with tile roofs. Tiled roofs of several of the buildings have holes which let the rain fall into the classrooms year round. Two of the buildings are closed to use now because too much rain falls into those classrooms for it to be healthy for the children. Cost to replace tile roof for 1 building is $6000US.

PICTURES: Top: Students passing between classes. Middle: Bicycle parking on the north wall of Kessararam Primary School. Bottom: Young students breaking at the concrete game table at the school.

July and August are vacation months for primary and secondary schools and universities/institutes. Still all the teachers are at the schools 6 days a week and many students attend in the mornings. These students have not yet successfully passed to the next grade. They are studying for and getting extra help from the teachers for their exams.