Aziza's Place August 2009

A Message from the Directors
August commences a two month summer holiday from Khmer public school for the students of Aziza’s Place. We are proud of our students who often have to deal with difficult situations within the Cambodian public school system. Most students at Aziza’s Place entered 1st grade at a late age and are now in classrooms with children much younger and learning material that is below their cognitive abilities. Further, public school teachers may impose illegitimate fees for access to lesson plans, or to graduate to the next grade level. Despite these realities, our students endure and overcome, and we celebrate their success! In this issue we highlight Theara, our eldest female resident whose story illustrates her individual struggle with the Cambodian public school system.
With our students out of public school, Aziza’s Place is now bustling with classes and activities all day long. Please read on for some of the exciting summertime programs taking shape this holiday. It is only because of your support that we can continue to provide our outstanding students with equally outstanding programs, and we sincerely thank you!
With gratitude,
Ali and Dan

Summertime Spotlight—new and dynamic programs for AP students

Take a Look at the Fun and Activity Filled Plans for Aziza’s Place Students this Summer

Khmer and English Reading Workshops
We believe reading is fundamental to our children’s literacy development. Encouraging students to read is an important part of this summer’s curriculum. We are working to increase the amount of Khmer and English books in our library as well as constructing workshops that encourage group discussions and critical thinking.

Visual Arts and Drawing Class
Art teacher Chorn Dina is the newest addition to the AP team. While teaching art at NGOs, Dina is also working to establish herself within the rising Phnom Penh art scene. At AP she will teach 3-D design, sketching, sculpture, and work on new murals for the outdoor courtyard walls. Welcome to Aziza’s Place, Dina!

Experiential Field Trips
This summer AP students will take field trips to art galleries, museums, and other cultural centers. These trips seek to expose students to the greater community, a central mission in AP’s education programs.

Karate Competition
The second week in August brings our Karate students to take part in a five day Karate competition. This competition includes Karate students from various NGOs and private schools. Fifteen of Aziza’s Place students will take part in this prestigious event.

Khmer Sign Language
With many thanks to the Cambodia Deaf Development Program, AP students have been receiving lessons in Khmer sign language (below). DDP’s Interpreter Training program has linked us with interpreters who have taught the children the Khmer alphabet in sign language along with disability awareness and education. Click here to see a video of AP children signing their names.

Steung Meanchey Dumpsite Closes: Residents Evaluate Long Term Options

After 40 years as Phnom Penh’s municipal waste disposal site, the Steung Meanchey landfill has closed its doors to the city’s trash. Word came from a Steung Meanchey resident on July 25 who confirmed that dump trucks had ceased disposing of trash there. Families dependent on picking trash are left with few options in the wake of this news. One choice is to relocate their home to land closer to the new dumpsite in Choeung Ek, over 15km outside of Phnom Penh. Another option is to spend the one way fare of 2,000 riel (equivalent to US 50 cents) on a moto taxi to go and pick trash at the new dumpsite each day. A final choice is to eke out a living out of picking trash from the street. It is frustrating to see the lack of sustainable aid and resource for those losing their jobs. Aziza’s Place is assessing the needs of each individual family affected by the closure. We are also working with local NGOs to search for sustainable, alternative means to provide our families with a source of income. Photo: A boy dismantles his home in front of the dumpsite.

English Students Find Value of Peer Tutoring

Advanced English students Rotha, Cheng, Sreyny, and Sengkry spent one week as peer tutors. The students first took part in a workshop on community leadership. Here, they identified the communities they are a part of as well as their roles and responsibilities within each community. For one week they tutored the beginner English language students on pronunciation, and sentence construction. When asked if she enjoyed tutoring Sreyny replied, “I like tutoring because it is fun and it helps me to have experience and improve my knowledge.” In an evaluation of the tutoring week, the four students showed great interest in taking part in a community service project outside of Aziza’s Place. They will be the first of AP students to take part in an upcoming pilot program that connects the children to their communities. It will focus on leadership and community service learning.

Eldest AP Female on Quest for Fair Education

Only recently did Aziza’s Place find out Theara was 17 years old. Her family book which is a Cambodian birth certificate, was recently obtained by AP exposing her true age. Even Theara herself had thought she was 14 years old. Arriving to AP in August 2007, she had never before attended school and entered 1st grade in Khmer public school. Theara has shown vast improvements in her written and spoken Khmer and is frequently lost in a book. The supplemental education and tutoring Theara has received at Aziza’s Place over the past two years has advanced her to the equivalent of 6th grade. In finding out Theara is much older than expected, AP staff set to work advocating to advance her to a more appropriate grade level. Because the public school director was uncooperative in this matter, Theara will have to leave Toul Tompoung primary school. AP is working with French NGO, Pour Un Sourire d’Enfant (For the Smile of a Child), who has an alternative education program and has shown an interest in providing Theara with accelerated schooling. Whether through this NGO, or by identifying a new public school, we will ensure Theara will have the accelerated education she, and every child, deserves.

A Fond Spaghetti Farewell for Prem

The residents and staff of Aziza’s Place would like to extend a warm thank you to Premla Krishnan and her boyfriend, Kalle, for their generosity as volunteers the past two months. We have Prem to thank for introducing the children to Michael Jackson, whose music they are now constantly singing and even replicating dance moves! Prem taught one of our English classes and created imaginative lesson plans including the study of myths, legends, and fables. Kalle temporarily took over as Art teacher educating the children on the history of tattoos. Prem and Kalle left us with an enormous and delicious spaghetti dinner (of which the teenage boys consumed at least three helpings each!). The spaghetti party ended with games and goodies. Thank you Prem and Kalle for your dedication to AP!

How to Help: Donate-Volunteer-Share

The success of Aziza's Place to date is solely due to the generosity and commitment of our supporters. Whether through funding, volunteering, or simply raising awareness among your own network of family and friends, we thank you! You ensure that Aziza's Place continues to provide a nurturing home and quality education to our incredible resident children.

Help Us Keep our Bookworms Reading! AP’s resident children love to read. Maintaining a library stocked with quality books is a constant challenge as they are expensive and difficult to find. Because shipping to Cambodia is costly and unreliable, we are asking our friends and supporters to help us fundraise for English and Khmer books. Children deserve access to information and books, help us keep our bookworms reading!

Click here to make a financial contribution to the Aziza Foundation on behalf of Aziza’s Place.
U.S. donors receive a tax credit receipt for your contribution. UK donors may elect the Gift Aid option so the tax-gross up is received by the charity.
Contact ali@azizafoundation.org for more information.