Phally’s One Thousand Children

Written by United Planet Volunteer Abbie Mood.

“Fight with words, not with bullets.” ~Phally, the Director of Khmer Chewy Khmer

It was 6 p.m. and Kristen and I had just arrived at Khmer Chewy Khmer English School in Siem Reap, Cambodia. There were probably 100 children running around, and more were on their bikes outside. Phally, the School Director, immediately showed us to separate “classrooms” to either assist or to teach a class. Even with my experience as a teacher in the United States, it was a bit overwhelming, but the students were so welcoming and so interested in learning that it was hard to feel uncomfortable. Many of them were interested in practicing their conversational skills, and hearing native pronunciation of English words. Phally’s goal is for the students (or “his children” as Phally affectionately calls them) to learn English so that the children of Siem Reap can have more opportunities in their lives, and to foster cross cultural understanding.

The students come from all over Siem Reap to attend this school, which is at Phally’s house. He has turned his home and his property into a free school for children who cannot afford the $5-8 monthly fee that most private schools charge. The school has gone from 50 students to almost 1000 in just a few years. Phally’s work has inspired his students so much that many return to volunteer as teachers. They will work all day and then travel for an hour or more to teach at the school at night.

We also volunteered at the school during the day with two other volunteers, Erin and Merrill. We would help Phally with tasks around the school, such as moving dirt to level the land for a new classroom or digging a ditch so that the grounds don’t flood during rainy season. Every day, we would start a task, but not have time to finish it, and tell Phally that we would finish it the next day. Every day, we would come back, and the task would have been completed, and there would be something else to do.

Phally’s dedication and love for his town (and his country) was so apparent that Kristen and I knew we needed to do more to help him when we got back to the United States. We talked to the Country Coordinator and found out that a classroom costs approximately $2000 to build. A classroom consists of a cement floor, two brick walls, a roof made of aluminum sheeting, wooden tables with wooden benches, a white board, and a few light bulbs. I promised Phally before I left that we would raise money for him to build that extra classroom, and I have every intention of fulfilling this promise. Kristen and I are planning a couple fundraising events at the beginning of the year, so check back for updates on how you can help out, too!

Abbie’s continuing to fund-raise for the extra classroom now that she’s returned to the US.