Empower Cambodian children with quality education

Dear Supporters, Teachers, Students, Parents and Family Members, 

ODC is deeply proud of and grateful for all that has already been accomplished in 2022! We, the ODC team, are all safe and well; our students pour into ODC with an unshakable enthusiasm to learn. Our communities are beginning to rebound from all the pandemic evoked hardships. We do hope that you are all safe and well, too.                                     

Most Cambodian people have been vaccinated, including children from three years old and up. This has allowed our students to return to school on a regular basis, alongside Covid-19 masking and spacing restrictions.  The local shops are now all reopened and many tourism-based businesses are back to their normal schedules. Cambodia is open for all people to come by air, sea, and road.  Recently our government has eliminated pre-arrival Covid-19, testing if travelers carry up-to-date vaccination cards. Helpfully, tourists can once again obtain their visas upon arrival too.

Our 2022 in-person student enrollment has swelled to 190 (compared with 121 virtually at this time last year). Even after building two additional classrooms, we still needed to place many interested students on our waiting list.  To serve the increasing number of students, we hired two more teachers; bringing the team size to ten; six teachers, three teaching scholars, and a volunteer.  To optimize for our larger enrollment numbers, we have also re-scheduled all the younger students into daytime classes and now all those in secondary school attend ODC evening sessions. 

This year, we have completed two significant capital projects: a new 4-room modern toilet, and the filling of an adjacent pond. Both investments significantly improve the school’s hygiene and overall student safety. Several other projects are in progress; a new drainage system, more parking areas and at the end of this year, if possible, we hope to add a new library and a reception room. 

The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a global economic crisis, and initially closed ODC itself.  Yet this crisis also triggered us to reimagine how to serve our students and their families.  Within the constraints of what was legally allowed, we re-tasked ourselves to develop a remote learning program for ODC.  Although we were uncertain at first, our efforts were remarkably embraced by ODC’ student/families.  Over the long resulting journey, thousands of workbook pages were printed, personalized learning packages hand delivered, graded work returned, and inspired learning made possible over countless phone calls, Facebook Messenger, and text message exchanges.  While many educational efforts stalled or had to fully close, ODC stood out and the community noticed.  Now as we strive to return to a post pandemic “normal”, ODC’s student enrollment has nearly doubled, our campus is greatly improved and our team expanded.  Meanwhile our funds to support these expanded efforts are significantly lagging.  Addressing this funding gap is now our most urgent priority.

In closing, we would like to reiterate our whole-hearted gratitude for your on-going supportand generosity. Your commitment to ODC’s is transformative and opens so many previously closed doors for our students and thus empowers our whole community.

Sincerely,

Chhaiya IM

Founder and Headmaster, ODC Organization

Dear Supporters, Teachers, Students, Parents and Family Members,

2021 had passed so quickly as if it was just yesterday. Anyway, we do hope you are all in good spirits and health. We would like you to hear that Cambodians are back to our normal living way, but with little more flexibility of Covid-19 situation, and make no mistake you might have settled life in such new environment, too.  

Even during this turbulent time, ODC was thriving to keep our children by switching back and forth from physical classes to online based and worksheet delivery program. What a big surprise! At the same time, we managed to do some fantastic work – the construction of the new building – to make positive changes throughout the organization. With this larger and comfortable building and new classrooms facilities, more new students and a new qualified and dedicated teach became a part of our family.

The first quarter of 2021 gave us great time with our children in physical classrooms. In January, the application for the pilot program were open and we received 29 younger students to join our full-time program to study with our expanded curriculum teaching English, Math, Social studies and science. With the combination of part-time students, in total the figure of kids rose up to 121. However, late March the contagious of Covid-19 was massively spread, we quickly adapted and our students seemed to be used to and ready for the change. During the school closure, the number of students even rose to 157 because many other schools/NGOs went on the complete shut-down. While students were not allowed on campus, ODC grabbed this opportunity to consider expanding our facilities. As a result, we started and finished erecting a new 2-room building and did some renovation to the old ones successfully. And we must say that this wouldn’t be possible without great financial support from both international and local donors.

Year over year, ODC is gifted with additional teaching staff which is full of passion and caring heart to see their students receiving good English education based on international standards. To ensure such standards, this year, ODC sent three staff to attend a training on teaching English four macro skills, reading, listening, speaking and writing. Upon returning, the staff brought what they learnt and with commitment, resilience and hard work, there was so much progress in their teaching and learning. Evidently, since 1^st November, we have been back on campus, we now have 168 students in total. We must admit that things couldn’t be better without our team’s efforts and endurance. However, we need to stick to the new government regulations based on Covid restriction such as mask wearing and social distancing in each classroom. This has meant reducing the number of people in each classroom with students coming every other day. Since then, our teachers have been working 6 days a week, giving our students face-to-face teaching three time a week while online learning continues.

From 13^th til 24^th December, ODC began its open-enrollment procedures for 2022. Upon having seen that ODC has seemed to be a good and trusted English institution for their children, every day the villages from near and far corners around ODC bring their register.  Surprisingly, more than 70 students registered. However, with limited facilities (five classrooms, but based recent government regulations on Covid restriction, only four classrooms are big enough with full compliancy) and with government regulations, not all the enrollees were able to have place at ODC. After the selection process, only 61 students have fully met our selection criteria and been put into different classes based on their entry-test result.

No matter how external situation have changed, ODC has always remained focused on its ultimate goal which is to provide the good quality of English education by preparing our students for International English Language Testing System (IELTS). To be able to do so in 2022, ODC has decided to run at least 8 one-hour evening classes with the maximum of 15 students in each class for the first session from 5:45-6:45, at least 3 one-hour evening classes with the maximum of 15 students in each class for the second session, and at least 4 one-hour-and-a-half classes during the daytime with the maximum of 15 students in each class. And there will be 10 students on the waiting list. Our term 1 for new academic year starts on 3^rd January.

We are very confident that our students will also be empowered to play a positive role in our Cambodian society and the world.  In times like this, we’re reminded of how connected we all are. Thank you for being part of our community. Without you, none of it is possible. Your impact will be long lasting and the people of Cambodia thank you most wholeheartedly.

Sincerely

Chhaiya IM

Founder and Headmaster, ODC Organization

P.S.  For those interested in even more detail, please follow this link to our 2021 Annual Report.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bsk8HGiPUBSTzVfSVqrAkAb676D6iNYE/view?usp=sharing