OPEN YOUR EYES : to each his own camera !

OPEN YOUR EYES : to each his own camera !

Penelope, who has been in charge of communication for the past year, has set up a photography project at the primary school, with the idea of sharing her passion with our students and getting them to practice in turn. She explains us what motivated her to set up this activity.

How was this project born?

If today’s children all have access to a phone and the camera that goes with it, our primary school students have few opportunities to be the ones taking the pictures.

After noticing that they were often photographed without their permission, I wanted to give them the opportunity to express themselves on the world around them and to testify by themselves of their own reality.

I have been practicing photography for many years, and particularly silver photography, and I have noticed, with time, that this medium is a real means of expression, and that an image often speaks more than words. I wanted to share with them this passion which animates me and teaches them to take the time to observe around them what visually allows to tell a story.

Photography often allows to testify about a particular subject, and the silver photography has something unique, because the pictures are visible only at the development. The surprise of the results is always a moment that I particularly like and I wanted to share it with our students!

What is the pedagogical approach proposed?

Elèves à la bibliothèque pour l'atelier photographie

The Art, Culture and Sport program at the Bayon School allow us to reinforce the creativity and confidence of our students. Several workshops are held each week and are essential to the learning process of each student. With the idea of developing this curiosity and their openness to the world, the “Open Your Eyes” project was born from this desire to offer them a new field of learning and artistic expression.

Having very little access to this medium in their everyday lives, we wanted to give them the opportunity to understand what it is, and to practice it.

The workshop took place in two stages:

A first day of presentation on what is photography and how it works. The basics to know before taking a picture (the light ? the framing ?) and the differences between digital and film cameras (what is a film and how it works ?).

It was also an opportunity to introduce them to some of the names of Cambodian photographers known for their pictures throughout the country. This allows our students to identify with these people and to have in mind that they too can tell a story through images.

The second part of the workshop consists of giving each student a disposable camera, with a few ideas for themes that allow them to express themselves freely about their vision of the world. This approach aims to highlight the context in which they live, letting them express themselves about their daily life and how they perceive it themselves.

Atelier photographie avec les élèves
Slide expliquant la position de la lumière
Davann présente l'atelier aux élèves

What do you expect from the results?

Once scanned and developed, the objective is to ask the students to explain their pictures and the story behind them.

Each student was able to take about 30 photographs and we hope to have some nice surprises!

In addition to the photographs taken at school, I hope to have images of their families and villages, so that we can have a representation of their daily lives. These children have grown up in the Angkor temples and know this area better than anyone else: they are, therefore, the most able to photograph it! I am curious about this reality, and I hope that they will feel comfortable enough to explain to us what their images represent. I also know that some of them wanted to go for a walk in the temples. I wonder how they perceive them. For them, these temples are simply a place to live rather than a world-famous tourist attraction. I especially hope that the images will be readable because I know that at the beginning, many are too dark or overexposed.

How was the project set up?

To realize this project, I looked for partners in Cambodia, because I know they are few to practice photography and I found it relevant to work with local companies.

Among them is the laboratory to which I send my personal films, We Film Lab, in Phnom Penh. The quality of their development has always been very good, and I like their approach and their communication on their networks.

Then there is also Rob Thort, who I discovered on Instagram. This account has a great visibility and defines itself as a community to promote photography in Cambodia. The idea is to make this practice accessible: they regularly have cameras for sale and also offer many films. I like this idea of offering to everyone the possibility to practice photography, whether as an amateur or a professional. Everything is always well explained and presented, and I thought that our project would surely find its place with them.

I exchanged with them, and they were immediately very enthusiastic and found the idea relevant. Rob Thort contributes to the project by providing us with the 35 disposable cameras, and We Film Lab takes care of the development of the images. It is thanks to them that I can now bring the project to the school, and I thank them greatly for their support.

The place of art in education: an indispensable element?

The place of art in education: an indispensable element?

At the Bayon School, we are convinced that access to quality education also requires the practice of extra-curricular activities, which are an integral part of the child’s awakening and development.

This is why we offer primary school students an opening to arts and culture from grade 1, which they do not have access to through their families: art classes, dance and traditional puppet classes, cultural outings. Three hours per week are dedicated to physical activity as well as cultural and artistic awareness.

Educational games and books are also made available to them in the library to give them a taste for reading.

Why is it important to encourage art education at school?

Théâtre d'ombres à l'école primaire

The presence of artistic activities in the school stimulates students’ commitment to their academic success, increases their involvement and motivation in class and is also an important element in developing a sense of belonging to their community. In addition, art allows students with the most difficulties to gain more autonomy, to express themselves freely and to discover new skills.

Art, in all its forms, offers students the opportunity to express their creativity and learn to work as a team while having fun.

The arrival of the Art, Culture & Sport program at the Bayon School

Started in 2018, the Art, Culture & Sport program aims to strengthen the creativity, self-confidence and personal thinking skills of Bayon School students.

Class trips are also organized to allow students to visit places they would never have had the opportunity to discover in a family setting. This is an opportunity for them to enrich their knowledge and learn in a different way.

Finally, sports classes are offered each week to develop skills that are not taught in other classes.

Through this program, the school wishes to awaken the students’ curiosity and enrich their personal culture, to value and recognize Khmer culture and to encourage the values of respect for oneself and others.

Enfants de l'école primaire qui jouent au foot
Danse APSARA à l'école primaire
Enfants de l'école primaire à la ferme aux papillons

In order to enhance the symbols of Khmer culture, the Bayon School has set up classes in traditional Khmer music, dance and puppet show.

Cambodia is the cradle of one of the richest cultures in Southeast Asia. Cambodian arts such as music, dance and theater date back to ancient times, especially during the Khmer Empire (802-1431) under the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism.

However, during the Khmer Rouge period, all forms of art disappeared due to the brutality of this communist regime which prohibited the practice of activities.

Cambodian art must therefore flourish again, and the Bayon School participates in the transmission of these important symbols of culture through classes in Khmer instruments, APSARA dance and Khmer Shadow Theater.

Enfants de l'école primaire qui jouent de la musique

In Cambodia, music gives rhythm to ceremonies, celebrations or rites using traditional instruments. Our music teacher Phlong Poeun teaches our students to play various Khmer instruments such as the Tro Saun, a two-stringed vertical fiddle with a hardwood body, the Takhe or Krapeur, a three-stringed, crocodile-shaped, floor-standing zither and percussion instruments.

The essential art of Khmer culture is the traditional Apsara dances. Once reserved exclusively for kings and their courts, these bewitching dances have their origins in India. The apsaras would be nymphs from the churning of the ocean of milk that is the origin of the universe, according to the Hindu religion. This art is taught in Primary school to both boys and girls by our two teachers San Theany and Run Marin.

Danse APSARA à l'école primaire
Théâtre d'ombres à l'école primaire

The shadow theater in Cambodia, “Sbek Thom” in Khmer, is registered since 2008 by UNESCO as intangible heritage of humanity. It features puppets of varying sizes (up to two meters high), made of carved cowhide. Considered a sacred art during the Angkorian period, puppet shows were only performed during famous events (Khmer New Year, the king’s birthday and veneration of illustrious figures). Today, the Skeb Thom has gone beyond this purely ritual framework to become a symbol in its own right of Khmer artistic culture. At the Bayon School, our teacher Keo Kea is in charge of keeping this tradition alive among the children.

Our goal is ambitious: to give a performance of all these artistic teachings at the end of the school year.

The association les Enfants d’Angkor Wat: What is its mission ?

The association les Enfants d’Angkor Wat: What is its mission ?

Created in 2012 by Dominique Roussel, the association Les Enfants d’Angkor Wat supports Bayon Education & Development in Cambodia, allowing our organization and our local teams to develop several projects, mainly related to the issue of general education. Dominique explains to us what his mission is and the reasons for his commitment.

What is “Les Enfants d’Angkor Wat” ?

“Les Enfants d’Angkor Wat” is is a non-profit association (Law 1901), whose purpose is, thanks to its donors, to help the education, in the broadest sense of the term, of the poorest Cambodian children.

We are involved in the fields of education, health and professional training.

Our goal is to help these children, in often difficult family contexts, to gain permanent access to school, to build their future and to acquire the values that will be the foundation of their lives.

What are the guidelines of your comitment ?

Our actions are guided by 3 principles:

School is a place of development …

Beyond the classical intellectual and cultural learning, we want school to be a place where the child discovers what he/she has the “possibility to be” … and not the “obligation to be” that the family misery can impose on him/her. They discover their rights and duties but also explore their own potential in order to make informed choices for their future.

Health remains a major concern

Even if things are improving with time, health is an area where there is still work to be done. Nutrition remains precarious for many children and when it is chronically insufficient or unbalanced, it generates various pathologies affecting the child’s growth. In addition, diseases not detected at birth are sometimes identified later. We facilitate access to health care and provide financial support because health is still a luxury for the poorest.

The future employability of children is a priority investment

Building the future of these children is our purpose.

In our projects we invest in key fields that are and will be discriminating in their future employment searches. Thus, computer science, English and ecology are major issues in the education of children, as they are omnipresent in daily life and are used as selection criteria in recruitments. So many training courses to which poverty would not give them access.

What need have you identified in Cambodia ?

We must not forget, in Asia, the power that parents have over their children throughout their lives. I think we need to communicate with them more and more, to explain what we do, the values that drive us and that we talk about to the students…

Otherwise, there is a great risk that two universes will operate in parallel, the family and the school, and that one will not be the relay for the other…

Thus, we have to be very inclusive with the parents: share the pedagogical project and involve them in the follow-up as much as they can, so that the school is not only a place where they don’t have to feed the children or look after them while they work. Cambodian social workers and volunteers are doing an extraordinary job in this sense. It is necessary to continue and to amplify this work in order to avoid further school dropouts because the child remains too often an adjustment variable of the family economy.

What projects are you investing in ?

Each age has its own specific needs, so we have decided to create and implement projects for each age group, from early childhood to professional training.

With Bayon Education & Development, a Cambodian NGO, with whom we have signed a partnership and who follows these projects locally, we run a kindergarten class for underprivileged children in the Angkor temple region, we invest in computer and English classes as well as dental care for primary school students. We have also created a hostel for young girls in middle and high school in the north of the country to prevent them from dropping out of school and we support various vocational training programs in the hotel industry, agro-ecology and pastry-making.

Sponsoring the Bayon School – Why?

Sponsoring the Bayon School – Why?

The Bayon school welcomed its first pupils in the primary school almost 20 years ago in 1993 and over the years, our association has grown and diversified. A program to accompany students in secondary school, a pastry and bakery school, training in agro-ecology, development of income-generating activities for the families of the students… all of this has been made possible thanks to the precious support of a group of people: our godfathers, godmothers and sponsors.

They started out as a small group of about twenty;  now they form a community of more than 450. The Bayon School is a big family, in which each person plays a role: from the volunteers, to Thorth, our executive director, to the occasional donor. The sponsors play a central role in this wonderful picture because they not only bring our projects to life, but also support them in the long term. Accountants, artists, school teachers, from Paris to the small villages of the Vaucluse, London or Singapore, so many different profiles that constitute the primary strength of our projects.

Our gratitude is immense and thanking these men and women is a priority for us. Our regular exchanges with them allow us to maintain strong links over the years. An updated presentation of our projects every other month, a newsletter which discusses fundamental issues every quarter, a direct link with news from the field on social networks and through direct exchange with our communication manager… We do everything possible to place them at the heart of our projects. Authenticity and sincerity are the key words of this relationship which allows us to provide quality education to children living within the Angkor temples.

By sponsoring the Bayon School, they have decided to support this quality education, entirely free of charge for more than 450 young people, taking care of all the basic needs which are necessary to the proper development of children/students. While a quality education is essential to progress in life, it is at least as important to foster personal development through recreational, cultural and sports activities.  This is why we have integrated various activities into the school curriculum, from physical activity to cultural and artistic awareness.

You too can take part in this magnificent web of human links (participation from 13€ per month). All the information about sponsorship and other ways of support on our website: https://ecoledubayon.opte.io/nous-soutenir/

Four lessons to be learned from this exceptional year

Four lessons to be learned from this exceptional year

Thorth, Vantha, Rithy, Sakoth and Soky come back with their words on these last two years and on what lessons they have learned. What tools will we keep in the future? What did we learn?

Resilience, solidarity and adaptability: these are the terms that have guided their work and become the driving force behind their commitment.

Lesson #1: Learn to anticipate to better apprehend

If you ask Thorth, Deputy Executive Director of the Bayon School, what he remembers about the past year, his first words are “unpredictable” and “stressful”. Indeed, his main goal over the past few months has been “to make sure that we would be able to maintain the education of all our students at a stable level: we had to consider which were the essential actions where we needed to mobilize our efforts and which were the ones where we could slow down, to make sure that we would be able to meet this goal, despite the situation.” 

He explains that we had to consult, debate and make decisions to respond to the emergency, without knowing how the crisis would evolve: “This taught me to analyze and question myself more about future issues in order to anticipate this type of situation as well as possible, even though they are exceptional.”

“We learned to adapt quickly and to find a solution to each problem, thanks to the commitment of the entire team: the challenge was to move forward day after day and to think about our actions in the short term to ensure an optimal efficiency.”

Thorth, Deputy Executive Director.

Lesson #2: Communicate better to be aware of each other’s needs

The implementation of online courses within our training and the obligation to visit our primary school students in the villages made us realize that it was essential to be aware of everyone’s needs.

“We became aware of everyone’s needs because we were with them on a daily basis, in their villages and their environment. We were able to discuss with the parents, especially those whose children are having the most difficulty. Today, this allows us to go back to school knowing which students we need to follow more closely, even though we are back to functioning normally.”

Vantha, Primary School Director.

The development of online education – Zoom, YouTube and Telegram – means that our baking school students have been able to use these different communication channels to stay in constant contact with our teams and their peers. Sokly, our pastry teacher, and Rithy, the new director of the pastry school, were therefore never disconnected from the reality of each one, quite the contrary.

“Each platform had its purpose. Zoom was a way to discuss together any questions related to the courses but also a space where students could hear and exchange with each other. YouTube allowed students to review at their own rhythm and to prepare their questions for our online meetings. Finally, Telegram was our main tool to discuss more informal, but all the more important, subjects at this time: how they are feeling, their emotions about the crisis and how we can help them. It allowed us to stay connected with them and for them to feel that we were listening to them.”

Rithy, Pastry School Director.

Lesson #3: Focus on short and local circuits

When the town of Siem Reap closed and all activities were suspended, the Vegetable Garden Project team was faced with a major dilemma: how to sell the vegetables produced by our farmers and avoid losses? 

Most of the farmers could no longer move between villages while the vegetable production was increasing. They had no way of selling their vegetables and we needed to find solutions. Working with the social team and the follow up team, we decided to buy back the vegetables and then redistribute them to our beneficiary families. They were therefore assured of having an income to take care of their families and we were assured that our beneficiaries would have something to eat despite the loss of their jobs,” said Sakoth, manager of the vegetable garden project and the agro-ecology school. “This project has strengthened the work of our farmers and made them aware of the role they play in Bayon’s chain of support. They are increasingly motivated to learn and to become more involved, so that it benefits everyone.” 

From a more global perspective, the complete absence of tourists has had a considerable impact on our activities, mainly that of the Coffee Shop. For Thorth, it was the opportunity to rethink our relationship with the local population, so that we would not be completely dependent on tourists. “The closure of the Coffee Shop was not easy to manage since its income finances our pastry training program. We had to find new solutions. Today, we would like to develop local products so that we can serve a local clientele and increase our visibility in Siem Reap.

Sreyleak, Coffee Shop Manager.

Lesson #4: Working better as a team for greater efficiency

The social team, in constant contact with our students and their families, has been at the heart of our actions for many months. Their work has been essential in following up with our families and responding effectively to the emergency. Soky, head of the social team, is proud of the work accomplished by her colleagues.

“We had to work hand in hand and it was not always easy. We had to think about our actions as a team, to divide the tasks. We realized what needed to be done and had to prepare ourselves to be more effective in the field. I’m really proud of our work; we’ve been busy, it has been hard work, but we have never stopped thinking about the families and the children.”

Soky, Social Team Manager.

Outside the Bayon School team, it was also necessary to work closely with the local authorities, as it was difficult to get around. “We worked jointly with the village and community chiefs. They often acted as a relay between our beneficiaries and our teams, which allowed us to keep in touch, even when we could not move between areas,” explains Thorth.

What we remember from that time is the force of teamwork: we can help each other to help those most in need. The team is more close-knit now than ever before.

Become aware of its role

Become aware of its role

 It has been 4 months since I landed in Cambodia and the time has flown by. Since my release from quarantine, it has been a whirlwind of discoveries and sometimes I feel like I only arrived yesterday…. 

I had been warned that Siem Reap was all over the place and that the passage of Covid had had a considerable impact on the town; add to all that the renovation of the roads and the first impression is –  how can I say – dusty? 

Furthermore, the closing of 80% of the hotels, restaurants and bars gave the city, at that time, the appearance of a ghost town. Even though the shock was a bit brutal, I had had the time to anticipate it and prepare myself for it, which surely made my arrival smoother than it could have been.

After these first impressions, I was able to meet the team of the Bayon School and discover what we – the school, the local team, all the hard work – are committed to achieving. And what a joy! 

I was able to visit the agro-ecology school, the pastry school, where the offices are, and the primary school, such a special place being located within the temples and sheltered from the sun and the noise of the city. If all the schools were still closed, the discovery of these places allowed me to put real images on those I had imagined.

I also visited the farmers to discover their vegetable gardens and was impressed by the work of these women who work the land, often alone, and whose production allows us to feed our beneficiary families. There is so much to say about them and the few pictures I was able to take often speak for themselves.

I remember that, after this first visit, Sakoth, the agroecology program manager, took me back into town on his motorcycle and, having no idea which way we were going, I let myself be driven around. What a surprise when I realized that we were on the road to the temples as I saw rise before me these magnificent stones and the impressive Angkor Wat.

I was stunned by this spectacle and realized how very lucky I am to be here, in the middle of a pandemic.

Today, 4 months later, I have had time to find my feet and I know Siem Reap (almost) like the back of my hand. The sanitary situation has clearly improved since September and we no longer have any restrictions, which allows us to appreciate the town differently. The roads are almost finished, we can see some tourists coming back and this gives us hope that we are heading towards better times – even if the situation in Europe alarms many people.

My work has taken on its full dimension by being here. I know why and for whom I am involved, I see the results of our actions and I observe the progress we are making. I have exchanged with the team, I have listened to their life stories and their reflections and I am aware of the role we have as volunteers in the field.

I wonder about what we have and must bring to them, how to be a support, at their side, whilst letting them guide their projects because they, more than anyone, know the issues of their country, the consequences of their history and the situations in which the most vulnerable populations are. I think it is important, when we go into the field, to be aware of these different issues and to know how to take a step back when the reflection is too far from our reality and from what we think we know about the country we are visiting. 

I feel that we need to be aware of the fact that, while most of us are just passing through, for those who live here and work at the Bayon School, this really is a lifelong commitment.

I see my role as a small hand in the shadows, helping to shine some light on the team’s work. I like to share my knowledge with them and give them the tools to do it for themselves, to exchange with them and to question myself on the way we articulate our work to make sure that it bears fruit. 

I like the idea that we are here to sow what we know and direct the work towards fair and sustainable decisions. Socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. Not to reproduce the same patterns that we all know, but to offer our children a better future and to give them the keys to understand today’s world whilst designing their own world for the future. 

During my time at the Bayon School, I hope to develop these ideas, to tell the story behind the hard work, to share the questions we ask and the answers we find. I hope to transcribe in my writing and the contents I share with you, this dynamic that we want to establish, to question myself and to question you in turn on the difficulties encountered here, which, although they are physically far from you, are very often the echo of what we encounter at home.

I hope to be able to show you the will and commitment of our members, of a local team that never loses sight of its objective: to offer children a quality education and to ensure them a better future.