Phnom Kravanh, Pursat Province (Feb 26, 2014) –Life with Dignity (LWD) today inaugurated a new concrete school buildings worth US$50,000 in Prek Muoy village, Samraong commune in Phnom Kravanh district of Pursat province, some 14km from the district town.
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The newly constructed school building has four classrooms, one of which is used as a library, donated by Mrs. Katariina Siirila through Finn Church Aid (FCA) and administered by Life With Dignity (LWD). It was built on part of the compound of Nintrea Primary School which consisted of a single deteriorated one-room wooden building.
The buildings was equipped with latrines, student’s tables, teacher’s chairs and desks, reading books, furniture, deep wells and children playthings. The project aimed to contribute to improving the access to primary education in rural remote areas.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, LWD Executive Director Dr. Sam Inn expressed his profound thanks to all donors for their generous support to empower the rural poor in Cambodia, especially on education sector.
Dr. Inn said that improving access to education was one of the key components of LWD’s Integrated Rural Development through Empowerment Program.
“These achievements came from the strong collaboration and cooperation between LWD and all concerned stakeholders such as village development committees, school principals, commune councils, especially related government institutions and donors.
He said investment in education sector was the right decision for the future of Cambodia to move out poverty. “I hope the government will pay more attention on improving this sector,” he said.
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Dr. Inn highly appreciated the key tasks of the teachers and encouraged them to keep up the good work. He asked the parents be good models for their children, give them love and hope, and send them to school. Another important place for children to learn was their home, he said.
He also advised the school children to study hard so that they could have a better future. “Please, don’t think that you are the children of a farmer, you cannot become a leader of the country. Please, don’t think that you are the children of a poor family, you cannot become a rich man in the future,” Dr. Inn said. “The important thing is you must have your own vision. What do you want to be in the future? You must be confident that you will reach your goal,” he said.
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In her remarks, Ms. Anu Riikonen, Regional Representative for Asia of FCA, highlighted the importance of education and FCA’s support to improve the living conditions of the poorest and most vulnerable by strengthening their livelihoods through empowerment.
“Finn Church Aid believes that every boy and girl has the right to an equal opportunity to access quality education. Investing in education, particularly for girls, is one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of poverty and bring about development and change in communities,” Anu said.
“It is my hope that the new building will provide a better learning environment for the children and enable them to concentrate on their studies so they can successfully complete their primary level and to further pursue their studies to the secondary level,” she said.
Mr. Sou Sahong, Phnom Kravanh District Governor, who presided over the ceremony, expressed his deep thanks to LWD and its donors for their active contributions to supporting the government’s policy to improve the education sector in Cambodia.
In 2013, LWD supported the construction of 4 concrete school buildings (equaled to 19 classrooms) across its six program areas in Kampong Speu, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang provinces.
For more information, please, contact Leak Ratna (Mr.), LWD Communication Coordinator | E-mail:ratna@lwd.org.kh | Phone: 012 819 121