Another school year comes to an end at the Bayon School…

by | 2 Dec 2019 | Agroecology training, Bakery and pastry school, Coffee Shop, General education, Health, hygiene and food, Primary school, Secondary school support, Social and families support, Sustainable agriculture and environment, Vocational training

Another school year comes to an end at the Bayon School… and before we know it, another group of students has joined the pastry school whilst nineteen new little ones fill the empty benches in the Kindergarten class. Such is the life of a school: some move on, leaving the space open for others to integrate our classes. There is always a lot happening, which is how it should be! Initiatives come to light, ideas abound, things take shape, the teams get on board and new projects come to life…

Maternelle-groupe
The 2018/2019 school year started at the primary school with an overhaul of the teaching system, following recommendations made by Rodrigo and Anaïs, after their audit of our pedagogical set-up.• A new primary head has been recruited and the teaching team has been renewed, giving preference to full-time contracts, which allows us to put in place extra support classes for children who may be struggling.
• Two new buildings have opened their doors; a computer classroom for the pupils of Grades 5 & 6, as well as a library with over 400 books in Khmer.
• A brand-new canteen and water management system have been inaugurated.

These investments have only been made possible through the generous support of our sponsors and donators. Without them, we would not be able to achieve so much. An enormous THANK YOU!

Anais-et-Rodrigo
Our secondary students participated in the monthly careers events with professionals who came to present their jobs. A jewelry designer, HR in a travel agency, accountant in an NGO, manager of a hotel: very diverse worlds come together to talk to our students, allowing them to project themselves into a professional future which is not really that far away after all. This year, they were also lucky to be able to participate in an intercultural exchange with students from the Lycée Français of Singapore, which was rich in emotion.
The vegetable gardens have never produced as much as this year; it really was a bumper crop! 80% of the canteen’s vegetables were grown locally and ecologically in the plots of the 8 families involved in the Green Project. Every day at daybreak, 25 Kg of vegetables arrive by motorbike, tuktuk or even bicycle to allow our cooks to prepare the meals for our 250 pupils, who start lunch at 11 o’clock for the youngest amongst them. It is quite a marathon to keep the families motivated as market gardening really is a daily enterprise with no time for rest. This year, we have been able to equip each family with an automatic irrigation system, allowing them time for other activities such as weeding, harvesting, pest control, etc.

Sem-Chum-potager
At the pastry school, 21 young women graduated at the end of August. With their diploma under their arm, they set off towards a secure professional future in the hotels in Siem Reap or Phnom Penh and/or in the bakeries looking for qualified labour. These students, who joined us in September 2018, were unrecognisable when they left; shy, reserved and unsure of themselves at the beginning, they left us brimming with self-confidence and armed with a trade that they can and must promote. We are astounded by their capacity to learn and absorb so much in only 12 months.

Intake-5-graduated
The new students who arrived in August 2019 have already taken their first steps in the pristine Bakery Lab, which we have just inaugurated and which will enable us to train more students in better conditions.

The Bayon School is moving forward – thanks to its teams and numerous loyal donators who believe in its project. Let’s continue together!

Please find attached the Activity Report for the year 2018/2019 for further details on what we do.

THE ASSOCIATION « LE RÊVE D’ELO »

by | 18 Sep 2019 | General education, Health, hygiene and food, Primary school

Following an accident 20th April 2014 in Cambodia, Elodie died at the age of 27. She was the project coordinator at Bayon School.
The project that was the most important to her was the creation of a canteen inside the school. Elodie wanted to provide lunch to the children so they benefited of at least one healthy and balanced meal per day and to avoid them going back and forth between the school and their village.
The project emerged in November 2014 under the name of “Elodie’s canteen”. In December 2014, our family created the association “Le Rêve d’Elo” with the aim of financially sustaining the good functioning of the canteen.
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Today, we count 45 members (families and friends). Through this project, seven children have found godfathers.
Our association organises two events per year:
• In spring, a pedestrian walk followed by a barbecue with a sale of envelops with a prize for each, sale of backpacks and tee-shirts
This event enables the walkers to discover the commune that welcomes us, its heritage and new landscapes. (In 2019: 350 walkers and 400 meals).
• In autumn, a dinner party (300 guests) with a raffle which has great prizes offered by our partners.
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The profits of these two events are increasing each year (2018: 17,000€, including 3,800€ of donations).
The city councils who welcome us offer their premises, often as a gesture and they give us technical support. We thank them dearly.
The regular attendees of our events are regularly informed of the projects of SEP Bayon and the payments we make.
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We are very motivated by the memory of Elodie, for whom the joy and smile of the children was her greatest prize.
Important notice: the next dinner party will be on 19th October 2019.

The “green garden” project : our volunteer viewpoint

by | 27 Mar 2019 | Agroecology training, Health, hygiene and food, Social and families support, Sustainable agriculture and environment

During each visit we take time to address all topics: supplying seeds, providing small equipment to facilitate the work, reminding the delivery schedule. This technical support is essential but it is only one part of the job. Get news from the families, congratulate them to maintain willingness to continue, share experiences to create a sense of being part of a community, all these little things are part of our mission. Because each family has its own story, each visit has its anecdote. It’s important to keep in mind that sometimes everything does not work exactly as we planned or we would like. Thanks to the “green garden” project, we help families living in a difficult environment and naturally we put their needs first.
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This project is more than just a vegetable story! It is the upheaval of these women daily lives and an opportunity for them to gain real responsibilities and dignity through their work.
Each Wednesday, we organize meetings at Bayon Primary School during which our program becomes meaningful. Some are well prepared, others are always late, and each one with their own character, they come to sell their weekly harvest and to get paid for what they have delivered. Then, we elaborate the menu of the following week with the cook of the school. All gathered around a table, we can feel an incredible energy when they proudly announce their upcoming production. This energy provides to each the desire and the enthusiasm to continue and go further. Beyond the cultural differences and the language barrier, I feel we understand each other perfectly. This project is beautiful, gratifying, and fully deserves the effort and resources invested.”