Program Update: Cambodia
At the 5th Annual Benefit Dinner & Silent Auction in 2014, Executive Director Arthur Han stood before the 300+ crowd and announced a new, ambitious project: Operation B.O.O.K. (Bringing Opportunity to Our Kids). The new project called on the foundation to build and operate schools in rural communities that don’t have access to quality education and signaled a new direction for the foundation. While HSICF originally focused on life-sustaining necessities such as food, clothing and water, Operation B.O.O.K. widened the scope of our work to include early education.
Later that year, HSICF launched Operation B.O.O.K. with the construction of the school that would serve as the pilot program, Han-Schneider Balang Preschool in Balang village in the Kampong Cham province of Cambodia. The school was completed when HSICF took their annual mission trip to Cambodia where our volunteers and supporters put the finishing touches on the school. The group was also there to witness the official ribbon-cutting ceremony with local community leaders, as well as the families of many of the children who would attend the school.
Fast forward 2 1/2 years later and the school is thriving. Nearly 30 children regularly attend classes where they are taught math, science, grammar, and bible study. Along with a free education, each student receives a nutritious lunch and for some, it may be the only thing they will eat all day. While the tangible things offered to the children enrolled at the Han-Schneider Balang Preschool are life-changing, it is the love and hope for a better tomorrow that is invaluable.
If you would like to help these children and others like them to continue receiving the gift of an education, please consider becoming a monthly donor. A small gift of just $20 a month provides TWO children with the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty and create a new cycle of prosperity.
Thank you for your dedication and support of Han-Schneider that allows us to serve children like this all over the world!
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