Despite its growing tourism sector, Cambodia remains one of the poorest and least developed countries in Southeast Asia. Development is uneven across the country and many rural communities remain poor as corruption and self-interest hamper the country's growth.

Thlok Secondary School is located in Smach Village, Tram Sasar Township, Srey Snam District, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia. The village has 2129 inhabitants from 595 households, most of whom live from agriculture.

Thlok Secondary School already has a concrete building with six classrooms. Although the building is in good condition, it is not large enough to comfortably accommodate the growing student body. The school currently has 304 students (132 boys and 172 girls) aged 12 to 15 and employs 9 teachers (5 men and 4 women).

The school typically enrolls students from four local elementary schools in the area. Therefore, it is expected that the number of students will continue to increase in the coming years. That's why we decided to support Smach Village in constructing a new concrete building with four fully equipped classrooms to provide students with a spacious, comfortable and motivating learning environment.

The construction of the new building will encourage students to attend and complete secondary school and underscore the importance of education to the wider community. The project also includes the construction of four additional toilets, which will improve the school's sanitation facilities and prevent hygiene-related illnesses.

Implementation:

Thlok Secondary School is a state-approved school. The government will support the municipality with the training and salaries of teachers and will provide the curricula and materials for teaching and learning.

Our approach is to always involve the community in the project to encourage ownership and community development. For this project, community members have agreed to contribute by preparing the foundation of the new building, erecting a fence around the school and organizing the school opening ceremony.

For the actual construction, we will work with a local contractor to coordinate all phases of construction and source all standard materials locally. Payment will be made in installments as work progresses, with 5% of the total cost being withheld for six months as a guarantee of the quality of the work. After completion of the project, the community and the school management are responsible for the upkeep of the school.

The school is easily accessible at any time of the year. Construction is scheduled to start in July 2021 and is expected to be completed by January 2022.