Siem Reap, KH – Kendrick School students from UK help with community programs – 5 Aug 2016

From July 21st – 25th, a group of seventeen students (aged between 15 and 17) and two teachers from Kendrick School in England visited the Peaksneng Thormacheat Garden Shop in rural Cambodia. The students were accompanied by an energetic expedition leader from True Adventure. The students worked enthusiastically with the garden shop team to implement multiple interesting community projects including; compost & natural sprays and organic vegetable gardens. The group also taught proper hand washing techniques and cooked two nutritious rice porridge meals for over one hundred children at the local community center.

The students spent two years raising money and planning for their trip to Cambodia, which included a wilderness trek in the Cardamom Mountains, Angkor Wat temple visits and community project participation.

The ethos of these trips is for students to learn about: leadership, budgeting and project management to name a few. While working with the Peaksneng Thormacheat Garden Shop they were encouraged to organize their daily schedules which included food, transport, accommodation, and projects. The teams were responsible for buying any tools and materials needed for each project and to make sure they could be delivered to the appropriate site.

The Kendrick students helped the garden shop team make compost and natural sprays for the organic garden program. The compost will enrich the soil and provide the necessary nutrients for the garden without using harmful chemicals. Likewise the spray repels insects and provides nitrogen. The students then worked with local families to build organic vegetable gardens to help them on their path to food self-reliance and better health. While working alongside the families, the students had the opportunity to prepare a local meal with them and get a taste of what it is like to cook in a rural family home. Eating lunch with the families was a highlight of the trip for many students!

On two occasions, the students went to a local community center and taught the children the proper way to wash their hands before and after eating or going to the bathroom. They then prepared and helped serve a nutritious rice porridge for the children that included; rice, squash, local spinach, carrots, and pork. After the meal, the students enjoyed helping the local children to speak English and to play local games.

The students not only helped implement community projects but were also encouraged to learn and participate in local cultural activities. They danced and played with a traditional Khmer band and went to a small wood carving school to learn how to carve like the ancient Cambodians!

The Peaksneng Thormacheat team enjoyed hosting the students from Kendrick school and hope that they will tell their parents and fellow students about the types of community projects they worked on and the impact the projects can have on impoverished families.