Cambodian Arts and Scholarship Foundation

University Orientation

2008-06-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

CASF recently hosted its 2nd annual "University Orientation” trip to the temples of Angkor. These temples were built in the early 12th century and re-discovered in the mid 19th century.

It is our hope that these trips will take our students beyond books to first-hand appreciation of their cultural heritage.

These girls are the future of Cambodia!

Here is what Vanna says about this experience:

“When I heard about the trip to Siem Reap, I was very happy because I never thought I would be able to visit there.”

All the girls were so excited that we could not sleep the night before we left.

“I felt very strange when the time came to board the bus. My hands and feet were very cold just like ice. I never had the chance to take a modern bus before!”

“On the way, I really enjoyed the view along the roadsides. Even at the rest stop the other girls and I talked and had fun that we will not forget for our whole life.”

“When we reached Siem Reap I was extremely delighted as one of my dreams had come true.

Suddenly I thought of all of you who made my dream happen.”

“My heart kept asking “Why am I so lucky?” I realized it was because I am part of you as a student of CASF. At the hotel, I felt as if I was in heaven!”

“It was very nice and peaceful with flowers, a swimming pool, fish pond and the people there were very friendly in welcoming us. Late in the evening, I enjoyed the pools so much and thought we must all be angels in heaven.”

“Hmm, unforgettable, really!”

“On the second day our student group visited Angkor Wat. I stood in front of the Angkor which Khmer people consider the 7 wonder for the Khmer next generation. I never thought I would be able to stand in front of it at all. I always heard people say Angkor is very beautiful and so on. But when I stood there, I could feel much more than what I heard. I mean listening to the others one hundreds times is not equal to seeing with my own eyes even just one time. When I looked into the moat surrounding Angkor Wat, I thought about how they built it for the interest of agriculture. And looking at the temple walls was also good as it told the story of what happened in that time.”

“When I was able to see those wonderful things, I felt I was very lucky to be born as a Cambodian citizen.”

Leaving No Child Behind

2008-06-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

Once CASF invests in a Cambodian’s woman’s education, we make a promise to keep her in school at all costs. This pledge requires oversight visits by our US Board and Advisors in order to build a personal relationship with each student.

For example, May celebrated moving into a new rental flat for twenty of our thirty university students. First order of business after the students moved was to relocate our office on the first floor of the flat. This involved choosing four men to help and finding a truck to haul books, furniture and files to the flat. The staircase was so narrow, the men hoisted desks to the fourth floor via ropes from outside the building. After fans were set in motion and students settled, our visiting advisor held twice daily conversational English classes for two weeks. The students so loved her that the white board became a living tribute to her visit; complete with her portrait and messages of endearment from her students.

Soon after this much needed training in English, the students were treated to creating a roof garden for flowers and vegetables. The raised beds were planted with morning glory, lettuce and other greenery to supplement the daily ration of rice, salt fish and an egg. Those who watched the planting were overcome with joyful emotion seeing so many hands digging in the soil when suddenly the homeland of rice fields were a stone’s throw away and homesickness vanished. The laughter, dancing in a circle, shared dining, and story telling makes every dollar of investment in poor, at-risk young women a sacred path to change Cambodia to a land where women are no longer second class citizens.

May was planting season in more ways than we can imagine for these students.

Making a Difference

2008-06-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

Sitting inside the house of one of our Mondulkri students, I was astonished to realize that, halfway though our interview, I hadn’t once removed my sunglasses. The reason, I noted at the time, was because, even though I was sitting inside our student’s house, the sun continued to shine directly into my eyes, through gaping holes in each of the walls. At the time, it didn’t strike me as strange, but in the course of my conversation with the student, her father, relatives and neighbors, it quickly became clear that today was a special day, as the sun does not often shine in this remote Cambodian province. Usually, the weather is rain, which means that on most days, cold water, not the warm light of the sun, floods into this house.

While CASF’s scholarship and support has made it possible for P. to once again attend school, the family doesn’t have enough money to repair the broken walls that permit rain to fall throughout the house, making it almost impossible for the young student to study. She is back at school, but it is very difficult to study. As a teacher, myself, this was very difficult to hear.

On my way out of the house, to go visit with another student, I asked how much it would cost to repair the wall, so that P. could, again, study at home in preparation for her daily lessons. For me, it would cost $50. A tank of gas, a month at the gym, one dinner at the most fancy restaurant at town. For the individuals of this household, the value was priceless. To help or not to help wasn’t a difficult decision to make. Being part of CASF, and having the opportunity to meet and talk with our students, I am constantly amazed by the life changing power of even the smallest acts.

One person can make a difference. I can show you the wall - and the grades of student behind it - to prove it.

Welcome!

2008-06-15T10:23:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that this foundation, CASF, which started nearly seven years ago to provide educational opportunities for poor and at-risk girls in Cambodia, now supports nearly 150 students, 30 or so of which are enrolled in University, graduate school or interning in jobs around Phnom Penh. These girls, who otherwise would not be going to school, are now finding a voice in their country - and it is utterly incredible to witness.

We received our first donation of $50 on 9/11/01, which was immediately used to support two young girls who live in Phnom Penh. Since that time, our budget has grown, we've been able to support more students, and more than 1000 people have contributed to our work. What has grown most quickly, however, are the numbers of stories - personal experiences of our students - that we have to share.

In an effort to share these stories with our members, broaden our membership base, and educate others about our work, we've started this blog which will updated often with information - photos, video, writing - about our students and our work. Please check back often; the blog even has an RSS feed you can subscribe to in order to be notified when new information is posted.

Welcome to the CASF family. Please bear with us as we get this site up and running. We'll be in touch soon.