Kinderhilfe Kambodscha - CHILDREN'S VILLAGE
What is life like for children living in our village?
The 100 children that live permanently in our village form their own substitute families with our long-term employees in a total of eight family houses - four each for boys and four for girls.
Everyday life in the village
We are happy that after years of hardship that the children who we look after have experienced, their everyday life in our village is quite similar to that of children across the world: school attendance is organised in state schools, where the children find opportunities of integration into the local community. Every morning and afternoon, buses are ready to transport the children to various elementary and secondary schools in the vicinity of Kinderhilfe Kambodscha's village. Some children attend school in the mornings whilst others receive schooling during the afternoon.
In addition, the children in the village receive lessons in English and can attend further classes to foster a skill set that they can tap into as adults: we offer classes in IT, various life skills, as well as cultural classes in traditional dance and music or meditation. Our children can also visit the on-site library and let off steam on a generously donated sports field where they can practice football and other sports.
There is a nursery and a kindergarten for the very young.
A typical day in our village
Our children have a regular schedule.
Morning: Life in our village starts early and the children get up at 5 AM, when temperatures are still moderate and the children can exercise together for a bit prior to breakfast. After breakfast, the children help cleaning up after themselves and get organized for the day.
Part of the children travel to school for morning classes. The children that attend school during the afternoon stay in the village during their mornings and have time for their English, computer and cultural supporting classes. Library visits and meditation take place about two to three times weekly. The children also can choose to do more sports in the morning before they attend school. Life skills, such as cooking, gardening and mechanics are also taught in our village.
Lunchtime: After lunch, everyone takes a break, before students that have spent their morning in the village have to attend school and are brought to their afternoon classes.
The children that attend morning school classes arrive at our village, receive lunch and after their break time they receive the same lessons that the other children received in the morning.
Evening: Everyone is back at our village at 5:45PM and dinner is enjoyed together. After dinner the children retreat to their homes for homework and self-study. Our carers assist the children where needed before bedtime.
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Twice a week, children enjoy a movie night in the village, whilst weekends are dominated by cultural studies in dance, sports, music classes and there is a focus on learning life skills as well as simply finding rest..
What does the village look like?
The central point of the village is a communal hall for eating and celebrating cultural festivities and birthdays together.
Besides the main hall, the village consists of eight family houses. There are four houses for girls and four houses for boys, all of which are equipped with sanitary facilities. The village further consists of several school rooms for the extra-curricular classes that take place throughout each day. There is a kindergarten, a medical care room, a separate kitchen house, a workshop house with workers' apartments, an administrative building, a guest house, a playground and a sports field.
How we cultivate local culture
In cooperation with local employees and monks, we encourage our children and young adults to learn typical Cambodian musical instruments and they can practice traditional dance and learn meditation techniques. The children can showcase their talent at performances in the village that take place in celebration of different cultural festivals as well as during the monthly birthday parties.
Vocational training
Vocational training positions are offered to young adults in our village after they graduate school after nine years. Adolescents who pass an entry exam can train with cooperation partners, such as Don Bosco to become skilled workers.
We offer a simple vocational training in our workshops on site of Kinderhilfe Kambodscha's village with external teachers. Teenagers living in our village can receive vocational training in in our carpentry, mechanical or hairdressing workshops.
Young people in training have the opportunity to continue to live in the village until the age of 18.
Our children and teenagers are furthermore instructed in gardening, and learn other skills that suit their interests and most importantly offer them better prospects for their future.
Security
For the safety of our children, Kinderhilfe Kambodscha' village has a tight access control and is closely guarded. The village is enclosed by a wall that is typically found in Cambodia and furthermore surrounded by a moat, in which the children can also learn to farm fish - a practical skill that can and will help them in their future lives.
