Bringing Hope to Cambodian teachers

NEWSFLASH!! Jane's 2011 challenge:

The Turf to Surf Double

This is where you, my friend, can help partner with me to raise funds for much needed resources, training and equipment for these wonderful teachers in Cambodia. My part is to pound the pavement in the Sutho to Surf and the City to Surf this year. Yep, 25km over two races in two weeks!! You have the easy path, you get to make a donation. To help you decide what you would like to give: $10 brings teacher training to one teacher; $50 trains 5 who will go on to teach hundreds of children;$100 provides a first aid kit for a school of 1000; $500 provides textbooks for a school and $1000 builds a fully IT equipped classroom in a teacher training centre. Your donation is greatly appreciated.

More about why I am involved......

From Sept 26 to Oct 8 this year, I will be on team with a group of teachers heading over to Cambodia as part of the larger Hope Education team making a difference in countries such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya in 2011. Cambodia is one of the poorest nations in Asia. After decades of genocide under the Khmer Rouge and an ailing health system, there are very few elderly people. 70% of the population is under 20 years old. Teachers here are really doing it tough. As a teacher, we complain when class numbers get over 25 or so, but can you imagine having class sizes of up to 80 students and with minimal training and very little resource. Yet these teachers are doing a tremendous job in difficult conditions because they believe that education is the answer in rebuilding and restoring economic and social strength and eradicating poverty and injustice. Education brings hope by placing value on and empowering people so that a sustainable future can be achieved. A great place to start is partnering with teachers in these developing nations and supporting them through equipping them and resourcing them with new knowledge and skills to extend their teaching practices. This of course has a tremendous flow on effect to the generations to come. It is about coming alongside these teachers and supporting them has they labour to bring transformation to individuals, communities and society as a whole, through quality education and teaching practices.