Summer Newsletter - November 2012

Introduction

Have you been aching to hear more about new projects and activities that have been keeping The Global Child busy? Want to know what has been keeping those big smiles on the students’ faces, regardless of the scorching Siem Reap heat? See some of the updates below and take a look at some of the amazing things that TGC has been up to over the past few months!

Saturday Programming

Our Saturday programing has been re-vamped for the 2012-2013 Academic year in order to provide the students with a much needed break from in classroom academics. The new programs work to provide out of the classroom learning and fun!

Mentoring Program- Community Outreach

The 2012-2013 Academic year will see a new part to the very successful mentoring program. With the hard work of numerous TGC staff as well as the generous support from a number of donors, TGC has been able to launch a community outreach program that will allow our students to interact and provide new skills to other students in three target schools in our area. These schools include: WatSvay, Wat-Domnack Primary School, and Chunlung Primary School. Each monthly visit will focus on a new topic that six students will be thoroughly trained in. The first cycle of visits will be centered onBasic Health Needs and students will teach about first aid, basic hygiene, nutrition and hydration and lice removal and prevention. The students are very excited to share their knowledge and interact with other students in Siem Reap. Check back in the next article for an update on our progress!

Mentoring Program- In School Activities

While several of the students are participating in the community outreach program, the rest of the students participate in various workshops every Saturday morning. These activities are always fun and interactive – a great way for the students to channel their creativity and work together for an exciting end product. In October, all of the students took part in a fun Halloween activity where they made paper-plate ghosts and paper pumpkins for a pumpkin patch mural, listened to some spooky music while wearing brightly-colored masks, and showed off some of their best dance moves. For the month of November, some of the workshops that the students will participate in include: a creative writing workshop, a film workshop, a team-building workshop, and a Thanksgiving arts & crafts extravaganza.

Saturday Afternoon- Physical Education

The male students spend time in a physical education class that focuses on healthy living, team building and exercise. Each class begins with a warm-up that involves jumping jacks, push-ups and stretching. The students are then challenged to complete different physical education activities that include: circuit workouts, relay races, team building challenges, and much more! All of the male students are enjoying this new class very much and especially like to challenge their teacher, Ian, to push-up contests.

Saturday Afternoon- Art

Amanda, a long-term volunteer at TGC, has taken over the girls’ art classes that Caroyln (a long-term volunteer from 2011-2012) taught during her time here. With the beginning basics of design already under their belts, the Grade 7 and Grade 8 girls have drawn self-portraits, made a mural filled with drawings of the ‘things that inspire them’, created a TGC flower garden (with each of their names surrounded by beautifully-drawn flowers), and more. These wonderful works of art now decorate the walls of the TGC school building and enable the students to feel proud of their contribution to the schools’ bright and friendly atmosphere.

Bird Watching Trip

TGC had the wonderful opportunity to join the San Veasna Center, a local NGO that focuses on wildlife conservation and ecotourism, for a wonderful day of bird watching out in the country side. The trip was an early one as students and staff headed out at 5:00am in order to catch a glimpse of the beautiful birds. As the sun rose in the sky, TGC students and staff used binoculars and high powered scopes to track down some of Cambodia’s native birds. The students had learned about these birds the day before at a workshop hosted by the center. By the end of the morning students saw numerous different species of birds and even got to enjoy a wonderful snack in the countryside!

School of Arts Trip

On August 2nd, the TGC staff and students piled into tuk-tuks and went for a compelling visit to the School of Arts. The School of Arts has over 200 students who come to school each day, looking forward to learning classical dance, folk dance, pin peant music, traditional singing, mask making, and the history of art & costume design. The TGC students were graciously welcomed and able to sit and enjoy several performances of various kinds of dance. After the visit, many of the students excitedly spent their tuk-tuk ride home attempting to bend their fingers into the unique poses that are ever-present for Apsara dances. Ouch!

Pagoda Visit

On October 7th, TGC staff and students spent a rainy Sunday morning at the WatDamnak Pagoda. Before the main chanting ceremony began, we presented a donation of assorted food and proceeded to light incense sticks and pray in front of a beautiful Buddha structure. Many of the students knew the different prayers and were excited to chant along with the monks. Overall, it was a wonderful way for all of the students to come together and share a very common cultural experience. Not to mention, the students were able to play and run around on the grass outside the pagoda after the ceremony had concluded – lots of big smiles all around!

Baray Trip

On a beautiful sunny day, the TGC family loaded in to a caravan of Tuk-Tuk’s and headed to the West Baray. This body of water, which sits on the Angkor Wat temple property, is a wonderful place to relax, swim and enjoy some sun! After renting hammocks and a seating area many of the students and staff jumped in to the water to swim, float on tubes and play some Frisbee. A delicious lunch was served consisting of chicken, fish, rice and fresh fruit. All those in attendance for the trip had a wonderful time.

Soccer Season is Underway!

The soccer season has started and our students are extremely excited to be back out on the field! Our girls’ team had their first competition on Sunday November 4th, 2012. With just one practice together the team did an incredible job. After making it through the knock out round they dominated the competition and made it to the finals. The team played extremely hard during the final game but sadly lost in an overtime penalty shootout. TGC was awarded a small trophy and certificate! We are extremely proud of the girls soccer team and look forward to seeing what they can accomplish this season!

Joe-to-Go/Beau Fou

Our partner restaurant and boutique continue to thrive and grow. Recently, Joe-to-Go expanded its already extensive menu to include some new delicious items. Some of the favorites from the additional menu have been the breakfast burrito and mango salad with tofu. Beau Fou has also been standing out with its beautiful clothing and wonderful accessories. The store was featured in the September-December addition of Fah Thai Magazine, which is placed on all Bangkok Airways flights!

Judy's Visit

A tuk-tuk pulls up in front of the TGC gate, the students look up from their work and then proceed to jump up and argue over who gets to go and open the door… everyone wants to be the first person to greet Judy! Once the students know that Judy will be coming to TGC in the upcoming weeks, they all look forward to her visit like they would a very special holiday – one that they know will include hard work, but also an inevitable pizza party! Yum! While Judy is here, she attends countless important and productive meetings in an effort to continue the great work being done at the school and at Joe to Go / Beau Fou Boutique. TGC students miss her when she is gone, but revel in the fact that they know she will always be back again soon!

Racing for the Kids

It is our pleasure to announce that one of our long-term volunteers, Ian Schwartz, has chosen to run the Siem Reap Half Marathon and use it as a way to raise funds for TGC. Ian has been training extremely hard to prepare for the 13.1 mile race while simultaneously working to raise as much money as possible for the school. Please visit his donation page, read his story and contribute if possible! Go to: www.gofundme.com/1fx8t4

TGC Needs Your Support

We always need your help to keep the school running. A small donation goes a long way. To donate go to www.theglobalchild.org

To send a check by mail to:
The Global Child,
C A Raboin CPA PC
5 Short Bluff Rd
Newport, VT 05855.

Should you have any questions or would like to discuss ways to help The Global Child, please don’t hesitate to contact me at judy@theglobalchild.org. Please join us in the fight to destroy corruption, poverty and withheld education in Cambodia. Please remember that Today’s Children are Tomorrow’s World.

Warmest Regards,

Judy Wheeler

Board Chair, The Global Child
(1)518-423-8780 USA
judy@theglobalchild.org