Current Fundraising CAMPAIGN
Students Helping Students
Take the opportunity to start the new year off right by helping The Hearts Company support a third world school in need. The Hearts Co. wants to get students involved, supporting other students in at risk communities across the globe. Give your students a learning opportunity while also giving back to those who need it most by partnering with us to aid the students of BFOS in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
WHY IS LEARNING ENGLISH SO IMPORTANT FOR CAMBODIAN CHILDREN?
The main industries in Siem Reap, Cambodia are Tourism and The Rice Fields. An opportunity to work in Hotels, Hostels, Tour Guiding or any other western catering industry relies on the ability to speak English. These jobs tend to pay better than the latter, but are still low paying on the job spectrum. Cambodia is neighbored by Thailand and Vietnam. In Thailand the national language is Thai. In Vietnam the people speak Vietnamese and in Cambodia they speak Khmer (pronounced 'ka - mai'). The unifying language between these three countries is English. This means that without English, Cambodian children are trapped within the borders of a country with low paying jobs, and no way to look elsewhere for work.
OUR WORK WITH CAMBODIAN STUDENTS
We have personally spent a total of 3 months over a years time in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This time was split between two different projects to provide aid and asses the underlying struggles these communities face when it comes to educating their youth. Our goal is to assess basic need first. This means getting teachers, rent and supplies paid for. For reference, one of the teachers works from 11:00pm to 6:00 am at the airport so that he can support himself and continue to teach during the day.
ABOUT BFOS:
Founded in 2014, the Building Future Opportunity School (BFOS) provides educational and vocational opportunities, language, and skills training to over 300 countryside children and young adults aged 6 to 18 in Kokdong Village, Toek Vil Commune, Siem Reap, Cambodia. The Building Future Opportunity School works to fill the gap between education provided by the national government and real-world demand. Even though public schools provide free education at the primary and secondary levels in Cambodia, the curriculum focuses on Khmer and other subjects like math. English instruction is very limited in quality and quantity, with only 1.5 hours of class per week. Public schools also do not provide classes in computer skills, other important languages or life skills, e.g. how to grow food and feed animals (organic farming and sustainable living), take care of the environment (reducing plastics pollution), and stay safe (including transport and food safety).
OUR GOAL
We want to engage as many classes / schools as possible to join an annual students helping students initiative. Our goal is to fund the schools basic expenses which includes rent, bills, materials and teachers salaries for the year. The more schools we get to participate, the lower the goal for each ambassador class will be.
HOW?
We want to leave this open ended. Different things are successful for different schools. Some of you may be seasoned fundraisers, so use what works for you. If this is a new venture we have attached some fun fundraising ideas at the end.
WHEN?
Fundraising Period Between Jan 1 & Feb 29
HOW MUCH DO WE HAVE TO RAISE?
We will have a goal amount set once we know how many teachers are participating, but remember, ANYTHING HELPS. The goal is to have 10 classes participate which would mean around $2,000 per class.
MORE QUESTIONS?
Let's set up a meeting! We are happy to answer any questions you have and speak more about our cause.
We look forward to speaking with all of you.
