Lunch in Koh Ker Primary School

Koh Ker is the remote village, two hours from Siem Reap, where PlF is supporting the first high school graduates to develop an Eco trek in the forest, see earlier blog. PLF provides a daily nutritional breakfast of rice and protein, meat, fish or eggs with lots of vegetables to the one hundred children attending, but once a week the staff of PLF and any stray volunteers, like myself,  travel up to Kohker with a van load of meat, vegetables and noodles to make lunch for everyone who turns up.

Mr Hong, the bus driver is clearly in charge, he has been helping Pnheary since she started helping the street children and he's a great cook, we all row in at prepping the meat and veg, the children are far better than me at chopping carrots and garlic! It's typical of what I have found so far here, a great sense of community and cooperation, no-one issuing orders but everyone getting on with a task. It's also a training exercicise both in hygiene and cooking, as everything is carefully washed, hands first, and cleared away tidily.

The stove, might seem primitive but is highly, effective, it only takes twenty minutes to heat the massive wok with the bamboo sticks, which as you can see are long and can be pulled in and out to control the temperature

Behind the kitchen you can see the school garden and paddy fields, dry now but well planted and full of nutritious vegetables  when the rains come.                

Lunch is ready at 11 when classes finish and we each take a classroom, our instructions are to give the children as much as they like, two or three big bowlfuls on average, some clearly pre-schoolers are here too, you can see this little tot squeezed into the front seat with her brother and sister who make sure she gets her portion too!

Many of the children take home lunch too, this little boy spent ages carefully tying up his bag!

Clean water is another major provision by PLF and training the children to wash themselves and wash up after eating

The impact of lunch and the food programme is Multi-faceted,  clearly the educational advantages of good nutrition  are evident in the increased alertness and capacity to concentrate in the classroom. Additionally, the practical skills and knowledge and understanding of personal and food hygiene are very significant for the children and also their families. The children are often the teachers at home, not just for reading and writing but also in household issues. Sadly everywhere in Cambodia, I see the blight of plastic , bags, bottles etc. The schools alone are refuse free zones and the children learn about the importance of controlling malaria and dengue by eliminating dangerous  rubbish heaps.

This school may be situated in a remote part of the forest but it is making great progress, PLF has equipped a library with solar powered electricity, and provided a librarian and English teacher, both villagers who have participated in the PLF dorm programme which enabled them to board in Srayang, about half nah hour away in order to attend High School. Now as graduates, they have returned, not just as excellent local role models but bringing also their special understanding of the history and culture of their heritage.