BANYAN LEARNING TREE

from Lisa in Battambang....

2012-02-20T00:01:00.010-08:00

Through 2010 grant funding from the Canadian Landmine Foundation (CLMF), 14 students are receiving two years of educational support in the form of meals, school fees and other educational needs. All 14 students were re-interviewed this year, with grades recorded and needs assessed. Each child recieves 50 cents per day towards a meal and four of the older students receive $12/month to pay for their extra 'school fees'. All of these children come from landmine-affected families living in Koh Kralor district, Battambang province, Cambodia.

Each of the families' homes were visited - most never having received support before. This year, some of these children's families will receive a cow, chicken-rearing business or will have their house reconstructed. All of these projects are being monitored by Cambodian Red Cross volunteers Miss Ben Sida and Mr. Leoung Deun and are being conducted through A Mine Free World Foundation and Banyan Learning Tree.

Students receiving school supplies from Sida and Lisa

Landmine-affected families in rural Battambang province and in the areas surrounding the Killing Fields near Phnom Penh are busy rebuilding their homes. This Canadian Landmine Foundation sponsored project is now in its second phase. Some of the families have completed their homes and some are in the process of building.

Materials are purchased locally and then delivered to the landmine survivors homes - family and friends help to build the new homes. All receive metal roofing - imperative to keeping the family dry in the rainy season. Most families are rebuilding a complete new home - some have been given materials necessary for major repairs.

widow Plet Hing, with Lisa and Mr Deun, will receive a breeding calf

Project conducted by A Mine Free World Org (Canada) and Banyan Learning Tree (Cambodia). Thanks to Om Chamnap, Socheat Chea, Leung Deun and Ben Sida for their extraordinary volunteer efforts.

Posted by Lisa McCoy

Please visit our website www.aminefreeworld.org for more information on these projects

2012-01-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the two amazing teams from Roundsquare the two Banyan Learning Tree schools will soon be ready to teach the eager local children, patiently waiting (well, maybe not so patiently!!) This month Chamnap and Socheat will interview the students who will attend and the school supplies sorted need to be purchased and sorted. We have had so many generous donations of educational materials, it will be an exciting time setting up the classrooms and libraries. We thank our team member, builder, Noun Phearom for his hard work, the quality of the construction is excellent.

Brighter Beginnings classroom and library

The Asif Ghayoor funded library building at Brighter Beginnings school in Prokeab Village, is now completed and ready for shelving and books. The library at Happy Gecko Bakot Village, funded by Patti Lee and Barbara Seagram from Toronto, is under construction and in a couple of weeks will be completed. Both these libraries are still in need of donations for shelving and books. It has been an amazing experience to see how all this has grown in such a short time. We now look forward to opening the schools and benefiting the children with the education they so desperately need.

School furniture in place

Lisa and Socheat have been travelling around Cambodia, during January, giving out an incredible 1087 bicycles for Rotary Wheels for Learning

funded by the Bracebridge and Gravenhurst Rotary Cubs from Canada. The hard-working group of Rotarians and friends travelled to Cambodia and assisted in the distribution, travelling to the villages to hand over the bicycles to the children. There is much work involved in supplying these bicycles, when they are delivered there is the task of fitting pedals, baskets, lights and carriers and tyres need air. See Lisa's blog below.

We are presently in Battambang to complete some of the A Mine Free World projects for landline affected families in this area. There are some supplies to be purchased to complete some of the house rebuilding and we always need to check on the progress of families who have been supplied with a business on previous visits. It is important to revisit these families to ensure there are no problems that could prevent them managing their business to get the most benefit for the family.

Keo Phel's family with their new dry house

the rain came in the old house

http://rotarywheelsforlearning.blogspot.com

www.aminefreeworld.org

The Roundsquare teams come to Cambodia to build schools

2011-12-24T00:12:00.000-08:00

December 10 was the first day of construction for the two A Mine Free World projects for Banyan Learning Tree (see facebook) in the villages of Prokeab and Bakot. www.aminefreeworld.org has photo albums of both teams construction and activities.

the "Happy Gecko' team

The Bakot site had a team of 20 Adult leaders in training from 9 countires, and the school, with the name 'Happy Gecko' chosen by them, was constructed in 12 days except for some finishing by the local builders. They learned how to lay bricks, mix cement, render, paint .. no task was too daunting for them, whatever there was to do they pitched in and toiled with the builders in the hot sun.

The local children were willing to cart and carry, to the point we had to keep them at a distance as their numbers grew day by day. Any break in the work schedule was taken up with singing, dancing and games with the children.

some of the 'Brighter Beginnings' team

The student group of 22 have constructed a classroom of the same design at the Prokeab Village site that they have named 'Brighter Beginnings'
It is amazing to see a group of young people working so hard to provide educational opportunities for those less fortunate. All arrived having travelled from many countries to meet as a team and wonderful friendships have been created. They have visited the sights in Phnom Penh and just returned from a 2 day visit to Siem Reap so their construction will take a few more days to complete then they travel to enjoy the beach at Sihanoukville for Christmas.

Bicycle delivery

Between the 2 groups they raised over $12,000 dollars to supply bicycles, small businesses, dental and school supplies to the families in both districts. Some of these supplies were distributed between ceremonies held at each school. All had great fun completing assembly of bicycles and handing them over to the chosen children who will no longer need to walk the long distances to school.

More photos on the following links:

https://picasaweb.google.com/111771562821405974615/BakotSchoolBuildingProject?pli=1&gsessionid=d4Xep6KajzEvOqOvu_h3ww

http://www.aminefreeworld.org/
http://schoolsforcambodia.blogspot.com/

Assistance for landmine injured families

2011-11-08T01:47:00.000-08:00

Early this month we travelled to Koh Kralor in Battambang to interview families who have been affected by landmine incidents and are in need of a house re-build or repair. This area is still hugely affected by landmine accidents and the de-mining teams can only focus on the road sides and market areas, which leaves all the open country, which could be used for farming, unusable. This project has been funded by Canadian Landmine Foundation.

These people do not always have the ability to support themselves due to the loss or use of limbs. It is generally the husband who has been affected as he is the one who goes to the fields to clear the land for the family to grow rice or vegetables. I am constantly amazed at the strength of the women, usually playing the role of mother to many children plus needing to do all the work to support the family.

The Keo Phel family

Keo Phel's wife is a wonderful example of the energy these women put into their family. When I met the family last year they had arrived from another province to stay with other family members, they had no money and were not very welcome. Since then she has managed to grow potatoes to sell at the market and also brushes made by Phel. They now have a little plot of land and we are in the process of building a better house for them.

We have wonderful volunteer support from the members of Cambodian Red Cross, Sophaney and Lueng Deun, that has enabled us to help this and other families.

Ki Peng's house

Ki Peng does not have a husband and has had to support her family. Her leg was amputated due to a landmine accident. We have given the supplies for her new house but are unable to begin due to the floods.
The area of Koh Kralor has been badly affected by the flooding this year, the worst in a decade and unfortunately the government is not forward in supporting its people. The price of rice has already escalated and this will become worse as many rice crops have been devasted. Cambodian Red Cross is doing what they can to get rice and food packages to these people.

If you wish to donate food for these people please go to our website www.aminefreeworld.org and, as we are here on the ground working this area, we will guarantee your donation will get to the people.

Blog update coming soon on the small business support we have been working on in Takeo Province, and roll on December for the new school buildings!!

Embracelet programme

2011-10-21T01:09:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to Dora, who followed Lisa McCoy around Toronto on her presentations and sold over $1800 in bracelets, what an amazing effort. The student weavers who made these on our previous trip are to receive educational/business support with the proceeds from these sales. Last week our volunteers Chamnap and Socheat interviewed these village women to assess their needs.

Add caption

The weavers are very happy to be receiving this support for their hard work. Two of these are sisters and they have requested a small shop to sell groceries and school supplies, this will be provided for them with their share of the money raised from bracelet sales. The shop will be situated at the front of the new school in Prokeab Village, when it is completed in December.

Some others have requested bicycles and school uniforms and another would like a bicycle and materials for sewing as she has completed a sewing course.

In Australia, sisters, Larni and Sienna took many bracelets to their school and raised $150!!! Well done girls a wonderful effort. The school friends loved the bracelets and key tags that they hung from their school bags.

A busy 6 months ahead!

2011-10-13T03:33:00.000-07:00

We have been back in Cambodia for 2 weeks now and the preparations for the projects to be undertaken during the next 6 months are in progress. We will have new schools, libraries, houses for landmine affected families, bicycles and small business support to be put in place during this trip.

How we started, students in the original classroom.

Construction on the new school for on the outskirts of Phnom Penh was started this week.
Before commencement the monks at the local pagoda are consulted on the most auspicious day to begin the work and on that day a blessing ceremony is carried out. Students have been coming to this makeshift classsroom for the past 2 years so there is great excitement to be starting a new year in a new school with 2 classrooms and library.

Our director, Om Chamnap and his family will have a new residence on the upper floor of the new building. This will include accommodation for any volunteers who wish to spend time teaching english.

Final days in the old school.

There is a new housing development in progress behind the school and this will bring many new students to BLT. The khmer teachers will be conducting classes and they welcome native english speakers to the school to volunteer their time even for a day. As the school is on the way to the Killing Fields it is easy to visit at anytime. Contact Mr Chamnap 012598889, we can also be found on facebook.

The 2 schools, in the villages of Prokeab and Bakot, that have been funded and are to be built by teams from Round Square Organisation will be commenced in December. School students from many different countries are coming to Cambodia to build these schools for BLT. It will be great fun for them and us!! We now have the wells and toilets in place and the classrooms are the next buildings for these 2 sites. We now also have the funding for a library and fencing for each site. We will be looking for many school supplies and books for these 2 schools as we plan to begin teaching classes in January 2012.

Lisa and Pauline with village children at the well

A new school for Phnom Penh

2011-06-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

Its already looking to be a super busy time when Lisa and I return to Cambodia in October.

Earlier this year, Barbara Seagram, Patti Lee and members from their Toronto Bridge Group visited Phonm Penh and our small BLT School there. This group had raised funds for 40 bicycles for the children through Rotary Wheels for Learning rotarywheelsforlearning.blogspot.com.

Barbara and Patti met the children who attend the small one-room bamboo school (close to 1000 and took it upon themselves to fundraise to build a new two-storey, cement school.

The total project cost is just over $24,000 - $3,000 of this has already been raised by donors in Australia. Barbara and Patti are determined to raise the balance through three planned fundraisers.

These students can look forward to a new school!

The first event was held in Toronto on June 24th and raised an AMAZING $9365 and there are still two more events to come in the next few months!! These women are wonderful and it now looks like phase one of our project will be completed by the end of December.

A Mine Free World Foundation, our organization that supports the families affected by landmines, now has a website - www.aminefreeworld.org.

We have two school-building projects that are being supported by the international organization Round Square www.roundsquare.org.

Two teams will be coming over in December 2011 to fund and build two one-room cement free-education schools for Banyan Learning Tree (BLT) in two rural villages in Takeo Province. The first team will be comprised of students from around the world and the second will be a leaders training group. It will be so exciting for all of us at AMFW to host enthusiastic people from around the world as they work alongside rural people in Cambodia to build these schools to further the education of children.

Socheat and Phearom, our two hardworking team - members are very proud parents of a beautiful daughter, Polineza, it will be very exciting to have a new baby in our family when we return.

Socheat Phearom and Polineza - a happy family

Lisa's annual garage sale in Canada

2011-06-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

Lisa has been working hard on the annual garage sale in Gravenhurst, many thanks to all the wonderful people who are giving time and goods to raise money for the wells and toilets at our new school sites.

The following info was Taken from schoolsforcambodia.blogspot.com :-

Donations and Volunteers Needed for our Annual GIANT GARAGE SALE IN JULY

Our 6th Annual 'A Mine Free World Foundation'
Giant Garage Sale Towards Educational Support
forCambodian Schools is Coming Up Soon!

We need your help - Donations of good used or new items
(no clothing, please).

MANY VOLUNTEERS needed - Young & Old.
Great summer volunteer experience for students.

Set-up all day Friday - volunteers with some time
and a truck needed.

People to help set-up, sell and clean up any
time throughout the 3 days.

Many 'sit-down' jobs.

We are also in need of many grocery bags
and the loan of some shopping carts.

We also need GARAGE SPACE IN THE
GRAVENHURST AREA
to store donated items until July 8th.

For a minimum donation of $20, you can have
a table to sell your own wares at the sale.

To volunteer, have a table or donate,
contact: Lisa McCoy 705-687-8538,
schoolsforcambodia@gmail.com

OR

Jay & Linda Harrison 705-687-7679,
linjay@rogers.com

This year, we are trying to raise $4,822 towards
two 2-stall latrines

and two wells for two rural school-building sites
in Takeo province,

Cambodia. The sites have been leveled and filled.
Now, we need your

help to provide CLEAN WATER and HYGIENIC
TOILETS for the two schools thatwill be built
on these sites in December.

We have a group of students coming from around
the world through the RoundSquare organization
to build these schools.http://www.roundsquare.org/

We have Bracebridge and Gravenhurst Rotarians
going over in January, theywill be giving out some
of the Rotary Wheels for Learning

Bicycles to new students who will be attending
these schools.

No donation is too small - no committment
of time volunteered is too small.
It will all go to help provide these rural children
with important sanitation.

Vaughn Adamson with Lisa McCoy and just a few of her numerous donations

Many Thanks to those of you who have already volunteered
your time and have made generous donations. This past
weekend, Jay, Linda, Carl and I picked up two truckloads
and one trailer load of items donated by good friend Vaughn
Adamson of Dwight and her family. Thanks to all - including
Vaughn, Barb, Jay and Linda for their trucking and loading
help. We'd love to pick up more donations like this.

Many thanks to also Inge Fritz and Neil and Kim Barlow
for their donations.

Huge Thanks to Dan Blix for his superb graphic design
work on the posters going around Muskoka and on this blog:

Dan's Advertising Design:

http://dansadvertisingdesign.blogspot.com./
I'd be so happy to have my phone ringing off the wall -
so please go check out your garage
or attic and we'll be happy to put your items
to good work in the developing country of Cambodia.

Thanks Everyone, Lisa McCoy

New House Project

2011-05-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

A new programme has been created to build new houses for village families, as many are living in grass huts with termite infested beams and large gaping holes in the roofs and walls – we came across many that do not even have four walls! They have no protection from the wet season and usually need to take the children to sleep in a neighbouring house if this is possible.

family of 9 live in this house with no protection from rain

Lisa and I rebuilt two homes this past winter. With help from Sopheany from the Cambodian Red Cross in Battambang and Director Chamnap of Banyan Learning Tree in Phnom Penh, we have now developed a project that can provide a new post and beam, grass-paneled, metal-roofed home (like the photo below) for a rural family.

As we are supplying the materials and the families do all their own building this gives them a sense of helping themselves and not receiving handouts. We always ask locals to volunteer with all our projects and they are really enthusiastic to do so.

It is wonderful to see all the family involved in creating their new home.

interior of house in need of repair

A NEW HOUSE COMPLETED!

Your Donation of US$425 can provide a new home for a landmine survivor and his/her family. Recipients are supplied with all the building materials and tools and they build their own home. Donors are given a photo of their sponsored family’s present home, their new home and biographical information on their family.

If you would like to help this or any Banyan Learning Tree projects you can donate to:
P M Johns westpac 732-716-517930 please mark your donation BLT or contact Lisa McCoy at schoolsforcambodia@gmail.com

New school projects

2011-05-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Lisa and I had a very busy few weeks before she headed home for her 6 months in Canada. We have purchased land in Prokeab and Bakot Villages both in the Takeo Province. At present these areas of land are being leveled with landfill in preparation for a one room school to be built on each block in December this year. The project will be built and funded by Round Square Organization, www.roundsquare.org, who will bring students from various countries to complete this project assisted by local volunteers.

Prokeab land filled before the rainy season.

These two schools will be part of our Banyan Learning Tree (BLT) organization in Cambodia. Socheat Chea will be our sub-office director in Takeo overseeing both these schools in Takeo. The school that the Round Square students will be building at Prokeab Village is the first planned structure structure for this site. The school is the first phase of a huge nine-phase project – Banyan Learning Tree Centre- that will see a two-building Family Care Centre, Library and Computer Centre included – a valuable rural resource centre that will be of benefit to so many!

Many families from this area travel to seek work at the border of Thailand for 4 months each year. These are families who do not own any land and rely on local villagers for work. The children miss schooling for this period and it is not a safe environment for them. A future plan is to provide a care centre to accommodate these children so they can still attend school and live in a safe environment. Eventually we plan to provide small businesses for these families so they will not have the need to travel away for work.

Some of the local Bakot Village children

In Phnom Penh our school provides English and basic sanitation education to close to 100 students and also conducts many outreach projects for landmine-affected families in villages near the Killing Fields. The children attending the school are currently learning in a makeshift bamboo classroom, there is very limited space and only one small outside latrine. These children happily arrive daily for their lessons in this very cramped space, we look forward to the time we can provide them with new classrooms.

A planned new, two-level cement structure will include inside classrooms and two indoor washrooms. This project is supported by our organization A Mine Free World Foundation and your support is needed and appreciated for the many programs and projects our team conducts. Your donation can provide bicycles, books, school uniforms and supplies for children from landmine affected families.
Contact Lisa - schoolsforcambodia@gmail.com; Pauline - paulinej1@mac.com

Embracelet project

2011-03-08T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Trapeang Thum village women who learned to weave bracelets last month took supplies home with them and we visited again this week to collect their work and pay them a small stipend from the funds Lisa had raised for the Embracelet Project by selling Cambodian scarves in Canada. These wonderful bracelets, necklaces and key rings will be taken to Canada and Australia to be sold and the money will return to Cambodia to these village women for new projects and educational support for their children.

Robin and Clair with the Embracelet team

It has been so much fun working and teaching these happy women, they are so creative with new designs, we have been learning from them. Robin and Clair George from Australia visited the village with us and will take a supply home to sell.

School visit

2011-03-08T19:12:00.000-08:00

A huge thanks goes to Patti Lee and Barbara Seagram, who visited in February, with their Bridge Group from Toronto, Canada. They sponsored and assisted with the distribution of 27 Rotary Wheels for Learning Bicycles for children at Banyan Learning Tree School on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

Members from the Bridge group

Patti and Barbara, including Marney Charles and Neil Burnham from the group, came to the school and helped distribute 25 of these bicycles plus dental supplies, school supplies, digital cameras, lice combs and clothes for needy area children. We all had a great time!

The Bridge Group has been on a luxurious Mekong riverboat cruise through Vietnam and Cambodia. With extra suitcases full of these donations, they docked at Phnom Penh harbor the evening of February 21st and the following morning two tuk tuks, including our volunteer Vanthon, picked up our eager visitors and we all made the hot, half-hour journey to the school.

Part of the ceremony also included the opening of a small library at the school for the children - sponsored by Robena Kirton of Gravenhurst, Ontario.

This small school has only been operating a year now, but already there are 75 children attending throughout the day. Many come from several surrounding villages and walk quite a way to attend. There are also students who cannot attend because they don't have a bicycle.

It was quite a sight to arrive at this small school and see the welcome banner, Rotary Bicycles, many happy children, parents and a TV Camera!! This distribution was recorded for Cambodia Channel 5.

Since Patti and Barbara returned to Canada they have sent donations for 13 more bicycles, these will be distributed to the students this month.

Robin and Clair helping with distribution

When Robin and Clair George, from Australia, visited the school they helped present 2 of the bicycles donated by Patti's group.

A big thank you to Robin for her generous donation for new English work books for all the students - these have been badly needed. The school now has 75 children attending the classes, it is growing very quickly. As the classroom is situated in the front of Director Chamnap Om’s house it is now a very crammed space for the students to work.

School news

2010-12-23T20:43:00.000-08:00

Mr Orm Chamnap, the director of Banyan Learning Tree (BLT), now has a volunteer assistant to help him with the teaching. This tiny school is slowly becoming established, already too small for the number of children that come for their free english classes.

If you are travelling to Phnom Penh please visit our little school, look for sign on the road to Chiso Mountain and Tamao Jungle Zoo, the children love to meet people and practice their english. Chamnap can be contacted on 01259 8889. Donations of notebooks, pens, any school supplies, are always welcome as these necessities are always in short supply.

BLT has, this month, registered some new members to the board. Orm Chamnap is director and members added are: Rotarian, Lisa McCoy from Canada and Pauline Johns, Australia.

BLT is becoming involved in many projects. Chamnap has travelled to villages to interview families of landmine victims and they have received Rotary funded bicycles and school supplies. There are numerous families affected by landmines who are in need of support. As they often have a great distance to travel. a bicycle is important for the children to go to school and the family to go to market.

Plans are underway for a free english school in Tramkok Village in Takeo Province. A village family has given the use of the land for this project and it is hoped the school can be built next year. This will make a big difference to this very poor village.

Another new project for BLT is Embracelets for Books http://embraceletsforbooks.blogspot.com. This project teaches rural women the weaving of bracelets. The women came to our village house in Trapeang Thum for one week to learn this craft. It was not too long before they were creating their own wonderful designs. We all had great fun and the 'embracelets' will be sold in Canada and Australia when we return home.

A registered school

2010-08-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

We received the long awaited news on the registration of our school to provide free education in Phnom Penh. At present this consists of a classroom in the front of Director Om Chamnap's house, he is a dedicated teacher who has experience in the operation of a non-government organisation (ngo).

At the moment there are 50 children attending this small classroom with many more eager to learn, when we are able to provide the space for them. These children have been attending the school with very limited facilities - their seating has consisted of pieces of wood propped on bricks and there were only 2 desks in use. My friend Lisa McCoy from Canada has raised funds with a giant garage sale for A Mine Free World Foundation and a portion of this money, 435usd, has been donated to Banyan Learning Tree for desperately needed desks, books, pens, pencils and rulers. Also 3 signs have been made to direct future students, visitors and volunteers to the school.

Free-education schools in Cambodia provide english and khmer literacy classes and in many cases computer lessons. It is a wonderful thing to visit these schools and assist with teaching a class - it is so much fun and for the children to have a native english speaker is of great benefit.

For anyone travelling to Cambodia the school address is:
House #70, Street Chamcardong, Kvar Village,
Sangkat Dangkor, Phnom Penh. email: cheychan_kethya@yahoo.com

Please view Lisa's blog for more detailed information: http://schoolsforcambodia.blogspot.com
Also a big thank you to Tim Mooney from Australia for his skills in creating our logo.

Registration for non-govt org

2010-03-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately we have had many obstacles in our path to create this ngo.

Will be back with news when we have our registration approved.