It's been a while since we last put a blog up, but we thought now would be a good time to update you on what's going on here in Siem Reap in these strange and unusual times!
Schools in Siem Reap were ordered to close by the Government on March 7th. The initial closure was for a period of two weeks and we immediately got on to working out how we could keep all of students fed whilst also complying with the Government closure. For the first week we made take away meals of sandwiches so the students could grab and go. We were also printing homework for every day of the planned two week closure, so the first couple of days were a bit chaotic while the teachers worked out lesson plans that the students could do from home.
A few days in and we realized that sandwiches were not sustainable as the bread was too expensive compared to the rice we usually serve. So the second week of closure we made fried rice which we bagged up for the students to take home with them, along with their homework.
As the weeks have gone on, we've changed the way we're operating on a weekly, daily and sometimes even hourly basis! Now, we go in three days a week to make sure the students are still getting food but we're no longer cooking for them. Instead, we're providing rations of rice, eggs and morning glory for them to take home to their families. We've been supporting around 70 to 80 families most days, but some days we've had as many as 130 families queuing up to get supplies!
Throughout all of this, our students have kept smiling and we have received so much support from all of our friends and family around the world, as well as continued support from Pack The Essentials, the Cambodia Rice Run and Genevieve's Fair Trade Village. We have recently launched our #ittakesavillage campaign which we would be so grateful if you would donate to because, as the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child.