For several years now, teaching English to children from nearby villages has been a mainstay of daily life here at Little Hearts. It has been an important part of our outreach efforts to neighbouring communities, allowing us to contribute to the welfare of children who live nearby.
Recently, we have worked to offer the classes in a more structured manner. We now have two groups who attend English classes daily. The first comprises children from Songkheum Thmey (New Hope), a small, impoverished community that we helped to set up after they were suddenly displaced by construction activity and had to rebuild their homes on a narrow strip of land near a local pagoda. The kids from Songkheum Thmey, about 30 of them, attend English classes on our campus from 4 to 5 pm, Monday to Friday. They are taught by our new English teacher Dadiya, who also runs the regular afternoon classes for our resident kids.
The children from Songkheum Thmey do not own bicycles, nor do they have any other means of transportation at their disposal, so our gardener Martini is responsible for picking them up every weekday, using our trusted giant tuk-tuk, and returning them home after their lessons. This extra effort on our part ensures consistent attendance and safe travel for these kids, most of whom are quite young (in the 6–8 age range).
After the Songkheum Thmey kids have left, it’s time for all the other kids from the Arey Ksat area to have their lessons. About 40 of them attend from 5 to 6 pm, Monday to Friday; most of them walk or cycle to Little Hearts, or they are dropped off by their parents. Once in the classroom, they are instructed by a team of our own university students – Olivia, Elizabeth and Michael, as well as Ilay while she’s still waiting for the results of her job interviews.
We began course registrations in the last week of March. Since then, the teachers have been introducing the children to basic English skills, including singing nursery rhymes and learning their ABCs, as the majority of students in both groups have little prior exposure to English. The plan is to assess the children by the end of April and then divide them into smaller groups based on their English proficiency level.
The community English classes matter a great deal to us because every child deserves a chance to learn and be included, irrespective of their background. At Little Hearts, we believe that even something as simple as learning English can open new doors for children. It gives them confidence, connections and a better start in life. We offer these English classes because we see the potential in them. And indeed, the classes have led to some wonderful – and sometimes surprising – outcomes.
By giving them a safe space to learn the basics, we’re helping these children take their first steps toward better communication, understanding and future opportunities. For them, learning English is a big deal, and we’re proud to be part of that beginning.