In order to make the atmosphere more interesting and to encourage healthy diets and teach home cooking skills, our Serve Cambodia education centres have organized a cooking competition that cook by our students in school. We divided our students into six main groups with three group for the morning classes and another three group for the afternoon classes.

Our dishes on the menu are things like Som Lor kor ko, Chha Kapik and Nhoum Sdout – these are Cambodian tradition food. All of these recipes the students have learnt how to cook from the beginning of the week, and this weekend, that is the time to release the ability and to show the result they have learned!

At the beginning, we see that each group is united, assigning different roles to doing something like picking vegetables, washing vegetables, slice the meat. Every single group they all need to bring the cooking materials for their own team.

After 15 minutes, the smell of the food starts to fly out, making everyone more motivated to do more and looks forward to eating. Not as long before all three teams had finished their cooking and they decorated the food nicely to attract the attention of the judge and people around.

Finally, we see that all the groups have been demonstrate their cooking very well and the food taste yummy and everybody had meal together with happy smile! We hope that each student can take home the lessons they are learning about healthy eating, safe food preparation and confidence in their cooking skills to contribute to their family, and to help their life when they are older with children of their own. They can also enjoy learning and celebrating their own Cambodian culture with traditional recipes, and maybe someone will even discover a new passion for cooking as their career option.

by Phanna Hun (Serve Cambodia Education Director)

HOH · Light of Hope · Medical · Sponsorships · TLC

In Cambodia, as is custom most girls would not feel comfortable and confident talking about feminine health. This is the reason which compels them to choose to be silent. It seems better than talking or learning about this, in case they will be embarrassed and ashamed and criticized for sharing or asking about their concerns and about any risks they are facing.

Serve Cambodia’s program called “Girl Talk” is created to help young girls. It is targeted towards girls who are around the age of 12 up to be involved in knowing about their health care. It may be that they start adolescent behavior. They are at an age where they feel like they cannot talk about what is happening to their body. In this class, we discuss the use of sanitary products, as well as sexually transmitted disease and what is to be expected during puberty in a safe environment.

Because turning to this age their bodies are changing; their moods may be unpredictable and sometimes hard to explain. These changes are normal. This Girl Talk is designed to help our teenage girls at Serve Cambodia’s three education centers to understand the common physical and emotional changes they are going through and to deal responsibly with new personal and social situations they may encounter.

And also for us, as adults to seek an opportunity to be close with them and be able to share the love of Jesus as well because Jesus was not ashamed to heal the woman who bled for many years. He knew it was not her fault and it was not a sin. It is something that happens to every girl and every woman. It is the way a girl becomes a woman and it is the way for her to be able to do what God thinks is very special – it makes her so she can have children and the bleeding is just a way of the body preparing for this. The blood is not bad nor a reason to feel shame. It is just the body cleaning itself from the inside. The blood is no worse than is sweat or our need to go to the toilet. IT IS NATURAL AND GOOD AND HEALTHY. And also to value their body for a marriage.

However we have taught them about body change for the puberty, the body changes its shape. Girls start to get breasts and for the hips to become a bit bigger. This is also to help a girl become a woman. It is more natural for the baby to want to suck the mother’s breast instead of a bottle and it is healthier for the mother and the baby. This is something that will be taught when they are pregnant – not now.

They are also taught about noticing the changes in their body each month, managing their healthy diet, and developing helpful sanitary practices that will prevent any diseases or discomfort from developing. Many of the girls have never heard about these things from their family before, and are always very excited to learn more and to ask many questions in a safe and supportive environment without shame or embarrassment.

We hope through this class girls could be able to know more about their health, and protecting their reproduction as well. Hopefully, they will be able to teach others and aware that this is necessary to learn. They will also be able to pass on this information to the next generation when they have their own children.

by Nineaka “Nika” Sim (Serve Cambodia’s School Nurse)

HOH · Light of Hope · Medical · Nineaka Sim · Sponsorships · TLC

In every year, Serve Cambodia usually organizes sport events for a school year 2018 for all three of our education centers. The sport program is included in the school curriculum, and students are always learning to play and practice while coming to school and the teachers lead them learning to play so that everyone is ready and can be able to win in this competition for their center.

Shortly thereafter, the competition for athletes seems to be so excited that the student will be moving from their center to the venue, and then everyone had arrived to the venue safely. Just come down from the truck, everyone grin to smile. The teachers in each centers take care of their responsibilities, taking care for all students.

We are also ready to assist with the first aid too. No delay, our game started with a guide to explain the match to the players. All the games have started. Impressive by everyone at the corner they are shouted and scream for their team be encourage.

The tournament has been running for over two hours, and our competition has ended. This program was organized by a team of Australian volunteers and Serve Cambodia staff, and after the announcement of the victory and everyone had lunch together, took a photo together and went back to their own centers. This kind of event helps the students to grow in health, fitness and confidence. It also adds a bright point and excitement to their lives, they can’t afford to join the local sports competitions by themselves. Thank you to our generous sponsors and donors who make Serve Cambodia’s projects possible, for caring for the poor and changing their lives to bring them hope and a bright future!

by Leang Chhat (Harvest Of Hope Center staff member)

HOH · Leang Chhat · Light of Hope · Sponsorships · TLC

Over the many years, our community development arm Serve Cambodia has been able to provide free teaching services to students whose families are poor and cannot afford to keep their children in school without support, and also other children whose families were relocated from slum areas into the new location that was called Happy Village. Even though this happened such a long time ago, but we do not forget about the time we started and the opening of our official Serve Cambodia Organization, it has now been ten years ago.

We have achieved a lot such as our student had finished their high school and were employ working so they can support them self and their family as well. Some of them have also since attended university and some have completed trade qualifications. The adults in Happy Village have been getting better with their earning income for their family, some of them starting to enlarge their own income by selling products from their home and this help them to get another small income while they are at home, along with the man that is working outside.

We can see that they had been changed a lot if we compared when they were at the slum area. Now their life has been changed, they have safe shelter, job, transportation, children being educated, and are accepted in the society. Also from this assistance in their lives, some of the families have managed to save enough of their income to buy their own land and build their own simple house that they can live in independently now.

In order to congratulate this, Serve Cambodia had recently hosted the 10th Anniversary of the Organization for the Memorandum of the day that started our organization till today. Staff and students from the three education centers, parents/guardians of the students, and the Happy Village Community had been coming to celebrate our event at TLC center.

They all looked happy and can’t wait to see our program, not so long we start our program straight away.  We have also organized competitions, acting, music and singing contests. Time goes by, at the end of the program we had prepare meals and drinks for the audience. Our program is finished well, and the people are really excited and happy about remembering what Serve Cambodia had done in their lives.

Many thanks to all the teachers, students and those who were involved that have prepared for this program. You all have been organizing, practicing to make this event running smoothly. A very special thanks to all of the supporters and donors that always support us since the day that we started Serve Cambodia Organization.

by Phanna Hun (Serve Cambodia Education Director)

Happy Village · HOH · Light of Hope · Phanna · Praise Point · Sponsorships · TLC · Work Skills and Education Project