At Little Hearts we always try to go beyond the needs of our adopted children by looking outward to the community whenever we can. For example, we support several children from S’ang district and their families in their own homes; our Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) program has gone through two iterations and received coverage in the Phnom Penh Post and Khmer Times. And before there was Covid – that seems like such a long time ago! – Little Hearts used to provide free English lessons to children from nearby villages, bringing in up to 120 students of varying levels each week. But in March 2020 we had to interrupt these classes following advice from local authorities.
The Covid situation has improved noticeably in recent months, and most educational institutions in Cambodia are now operating either fully or partly in person, so it was high time to reopen our community language program. Indeed, it was the Little Hearts kids themselves who chose to do so when given several options for a Friday afternoon project.
May and Roxanne supervised all the preparations. A flyer (in Khmer) about the upcoming lessons was created and distributed to families in the community, and last Friday afternoon we welcomed the first group of eager young learners.
All Little Hearts residents participated in the teaching effort. Some were deployed as a welcoming committee and were responsible for checking the incoming kids’ temperature and distributing face masks. Others organised all the necessary materials, such as worksheets and visuals. And some of the most senior boys and girls did the teaching.
The visiting students were divided into age groups and given a quick diagnostic quiz to determine their language level. They were then assigned to one of four classrooms presided over by Sarim, Ilay, Michael and Elizabeth, respectively. Each of these head teachers was aided by several assistants, including Sithy, Noah, Olivia, Daleine and Dalin.
As most of the visiting students turned out to be beginners, classroom activities on the first day were simple, such as learning the alphabet and common greetings and phrases in English.
This first two-hour lesson was a success, both for the visitors, who left a bit dazed by the flurry of new information but happy to have participated, and for Little Hearts residents, who managed the entire activity on their own and got to show off their own language skills.
Our current plan is to continue holding English classes for community children every Friday afternoon for the next few weeks to gauge interest and establish a routine. Ideally, and with enough participation, we will expand the program to three afternoons per week – Covid permitting, of course.
In the long term and if we are to return to pre-Covid student numbers, we will have to hire extra English teachers, though a budget for that recruitment has yet to be found. For the time being, classes will continue to be taught by senior Little Hearts residents on a rotating basis. And who knows, maybe through teaching one of our residents will discover their vocation…
