Room to Read Beneficiary Visit Report

　Destination　　Smach Primary School, a public school in Cambodia

ABeam Consulting made a corporate donation to Cambodia in 2018. We visited Smach Primary School to observe the newly constructed library/reading room and the implementation of a literacy education program.

 At the primary school, we observed a first-grade class held in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia. The Khmer language does not use an alphabet, but rather a unique script composed of numerous vowels and consonants. Khmer is a complex and difficult language, not only for Japanese but also for Cambodians, and the difficulty is even higher for first-grade students.

In order to make learning the complex and difficult Khmer language as easy as possible, RTR has implemented the following three main initiatives.

① Improvement of Textbook Quality: Vowels are shown in red to make it easier to distinguish between vowels and consonants, and the structure is designed to visually clarify what letters are formed when consonants are combined with vowels. The quality of the textbooks has been improved by incorporating elements of RTR's successful Khmer language education practices, and the textbooks reviewed by RTR are used in public schools throughout Cambodia.

② Teachers Training: RTR facilitates children’s learning by devising instructional methods. When learning a certain letter, the following three types of spaced repetition were used to promote content retention.

③ Creation of an Environment Conducive to Learning: Since this was a class for younger children, the teachers tried to draw the children's attention with physical and vocal actions once every few minutes to keep their concentration.

RTR’s literacy education programs are designed to produce steady results, and we were able to fully appreciate the significance of ABeam’s support. The local RTR staff, principal, and Khmer teachers who showed us around the school all understood equally the importance of education, and their passion for teaching was evident throughout our visit. We felt honored to be able to provide even a small amount of support to such professionals.
 

 

　Destinations　　Rathmale Thissa School and Athungama Primary School, public schools in Sri Lanka

ABeam made a corporate donation to Sri Lanka in 2016. We visited Rathmale Thissa School and Athungama Primary School to observe the newly constructed libraries/reading rooms and the implementation of literacy and girls’ education programs.

On the first day of our stay in Sri Lanka, we visited a girls’ education program.

When we arrived at Rathmale Thissa School, a life skills training session for girls was about to begin. Nearly 20 girls were sitting in a circle of chairs around a woman called a “Social Mobilizer” in the corner of the school yard, and key points were handwritten on a piece of paper affixed to the wall.

She explained that these life skills training sessions help students develop the skills they need to make their own way in life and live independently. Each session has a different theme to develop decision-making, problem-solving, stress and emotional control, self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills.

The theme on that day was communication techniques. After the Social Mobilizer explained the point of the theme, students experienced the difficulty of communication through playing the game called Chinese whispers.

RTR's girls' education program provides students with a role model and counselor, a college-educated woman in her 20s or 30s who is trained by RTR to be a Social Mobilizer and help students imagine where they will be in a few years’ time.

On the second day of our stay in Sri Lanka, we visited a literacy education program.

After arriving at Athungama Primary School, we began our visit by observing the second grade (6-7 years old) Sinhala class. RTR was involved in the creation of the textbooks and teaching manuals used in this class, and also provides training to teachers on how to conduct their lessons.

On the day of our visit, the class was learning the letter for the consonant "ඛ" (kh). The class was conducted in a format in which students were actively learning while thinking for themselves, mainly by working on assignments in the textbook and taking quizzes given by the teacher.

During the lesson, we saw children teaching others in the same group who did not understand, as well as children actively raising their hands in response to the teacher’s questions.

Through this site visit, we were able to see firsthand how the money donated by ABeam is being used to benefit the local community.

Before going to Sri Lanka, we did not know that RTR’s support involved the community as well as the entire school. We realized the impact of our support through the many words of appreciation we received from students and teachers at the school, as well as from parents and community members.
 

 

　Destinations　　Krachab Primary School and Hun Sen Tbeng High School, public schools in Cambodia

 

　Destinations　　Đồng Thịnh Primary School and Điềm Mặc Primary School

　Destinations　　a primary school, a community school, and Room to Read’s Nepal office

　Destinations　　a kindergarten, an elementary school library, and Room to Read’s Vietnam office