Seametrey School

What our aim and objectives are

Our aim is to help rebuild Cambodia economically and most of all morally. To achieve this aim, we set out two objectives equally important in our eyes:
1. Foster communication and solidarity between Cambodians inside and outside the country, help those who want to return settle down in their new life. This would boost human resources which is a problem in Cambodia and we believe that human development along this line is more sustainable than relying on foreign expertise.
2. Return self-esteem to the Cambodian people. The Khmer are very proud of their past but the present is a stigma of which they are ashamed. ‘Khmer’ has come to mean poor quality, incompetence, corruption, dishonesty, greed, everything negative one can come up with. More than anything else these feelings are destroying the country from within. We want to tell them," Look! You are like ebony or teak wood exposed to bad weather. You could make beautiful, strong furniture.", which is the truth. We have to reconcile them with themelves, come to term with the past and move on. The road is long and painful but we have to try ... and we will succeed!
What the target areas are
Education and environment to start with. Education because, being a teacher, it is what I know best and environment because it is an urgent issue. Like everywhere else in the world, the environment in Cambodia is rapidly deteriorating. We feel an environmental education to raise people’s awareness is necessary.
How we will tackle the problems
- Children and mass education
  We shall invest in children's education for we believe in building a sound foundation for the economic and moral development of Cambodia in the medium term. We also think it is more efficient to educate the present generation as children are the driving force in society. They can influence their parents, change their parents’ way of thinking and so act better than any campaigner could. Humbly, patiently we shall try to build a school network open to the outside world by providing bilingual or trilingual teaching from early childhood, modern quality education on par with schools in the West.
  
  At the same time, the best of the Cambodian culture will be revived, preserved and taught. We shall strive to prepare the next generation to become capable, efficient and responsible citizens. At the same time we will not neglect other ways of educating the public. We shall seek cooperation from the local mass media. If possible, Seametrey will have it’s own free newspaper which will serve as a forum for all.
- Job creation
  We shall strive to create as many jobs as possible. Only when people are fed will they listen and can we speak to them about trees and flowers and wildlife, about corruption, law and order and so on. Otherwise the speech would be like the wind blowing in a cold dark night, disturbing, unwelcome. Training is a way to provide skills and jobs to people.
  
  The Government and many NGOs in Cambodia are doing it. We shall join our effort with theirs by providing language, IT and general knowledge classes to children and adults. All jobs need not be skilled however. There are numerous beggars, homeless people, street children who live out of public charity in Cambodia. Instead of letting them beg, we could let them clean the environment and earn their living in a dignified way. Seametrey had a brief experience doing this for five months in 1997-98.
  
  We conducted a cleaning campaign in the Phnom Penh river front gardens employing homeless and handicapped people. It was a rewarding experience for all concerned. To sustain the project, we thought of a small open-air restaurant in the gardens but the regulations at the time didn’t allow it to go through and so the project was short lived. But we will continue along this line.
- Self-reliance mentality and national solidarity
  The near-total destruction of the Cambodian society and infrastructures by the Khmer Rouge has drawn sympathy and substantial aid from major donor countries which have made the resurrection of Cambodia possible. But this has had also a less positive impact on the people as they tend to get used to living of hand-outs and taking them for granted. It has led also to self-indulgence, lack of self-esteem and self-confidence. While we know aid is crucial and Cambodia cannot do without, Seametrey will strive to build up a self-reliance mentality and restore self-esteem to the Cambodian people by focusing on the positive sides of their society, by building up national solidarity, drawing on traditional resources and culture.
  
  One example is fund-raising. The ‘Flower festival’ is a tradition by which a person or group of persons organise a festivity to raise fund to benefit a temple. Every year throughout the country, flower festivals blossom and that is how temples can be restored or built. This tradition however has been so far for religious purposes only. There are other forms of traditional solidarity. Seametrey would like to draw on these traditional resources to help the people help themselves. Only self-reliance can lead to sustainable development. Undoubtedly, this task is the most challenging as mentality is hard to change. But at least we can try.

Seametrey’s current projects

Since October 2002, an evening English class for children in Takhmao. Mass education has humbly started with this project. Parents are required to contribute $1 a month and attend meetings where they are explained new teaching approach, parents’ involvement, citizen’s responsibility etc. As we expected, it has been a challenging task. If Seametrey Children’s Village Phnom Penh is successful, a similar one in Takhmao will open shortly for local children. This project will have a far stronger and far reaching impact on local people. We hope with your help, our dream will come true soon.