Samraong is the capital of Oddar Meanchey province, which is Cambodia’s newest province. The province is located north of Siem Reap province and borders Thailand. The city of Siem Reap is about 120 km away from Samraong, currently about 4 hours by car, depending on the condition of the road. During the rainy season the trip may take considerably longer.
There are two main objectives at this project. Firstly education, and secondly trying to create better future prospects for under-developed children from poor and remote areas in Cambodia. As well as simply offering this education, we are also trying to promote and encourage education among children who are not currently receiving any schooling. Regarding the older students, we actively encourage students to consider career paths and future employment.
We have a high level of flexibility for volunteers’ input for this project. The teaching primarily takes place in a traditional classroom setting. However, we actively encourage creative input from volunteers, such as workshops in drawing, art, singing or other educational and fun activities to help broaden world perspective, gain new interests and discover unknown talents of the local children.
Introduction Day
Your project starts with an introduction day on the first Monday including a tour of the area surrounding the accommodation, available facilities, cultural "do's and don'ts", safety concerns as well as some basic local language lessons.
Monday to Friday
Teaching time with the students is divided into two shifts, with lunch and free time back at the accommodation in between. The first shift begins in the morning from 08:00 to 11:00 and the afternoon shift from 14:00 to 17:00. You should also expect to spend time working on the next days activities/exercises, so that you are prepared and comfortable for the duration of the lesson. The main mode of transport to and from the accommodation is by bike.
The core focus of the teaching project will depend on the needs of the school at any particular point of time. Your main responsibilities are:
Preparing English lesson plans
Teaching English
Administering weekly progress tests
Small construction and renovation of school and local community
Besides passing on your English knowledge, you may also be able to share some basic hygiene and sanitation routines, as well as, your own experiences and cultural background.
The school has a lot of experience in informal teaching methods, arranging different after school programs such as sports, giving workshops and running environmental awareness campaigns with the children. Depending on the particular skills of the participants or group, we may do some arts and handicrafts as well.
The classrooms are equipped with basic teaching resources, such as a blackboard and flash cards. You are highly encouraged to bring small learning materials and items to use in your class and/or donate to our school. These things are gratefully received and help broaden the curriculum and teaching possibilities that we can offer to the students.
Much of the school has been built with the help of previous volunteers and local tradesman. However, Mr. Nuth Ya's work here is far from done. Volunteers will be able to continue to assist in the construction of new buildings and renovation work of the nearby area. We are set to work on some "educational art", in which we request our volunteer to utilize their artistic talents if possible. We would like several walls to display images and sketches of participant’s home country and culture. Examples would be flags and various other cultural symbols of the participant’s home country. We feel this is a nice way to reflect the hard and good work that has been done by the volunteers over the past six years.
Please note that the volunteer activities and schedule can change at any time based on the needs of the project, local conditions, the weather and unforeseen circumstances.
Evenings & Weekends
During the evenings the volunteers are generally free, and there are no program activities scheduled unless otherwise mentioned. Weekends are always free. Relax at your homestay accommodation, take a bicycle into town, or expand your sightseeing and visit the many sites in the Oddar Meanchey province, or take a taxi to Siem Reap for the weekend to visit the famous Angkor Wat. Our friendly staff are always there to make your choice easier with advice.
Public school holidays do not influence our programs in Cambodia. Our teaching program runs all year round, but we have two holidays for Greenway School:
2022
24 Sept - 02 Oct
During these holidays, volunteers can still work at the school, but it is construction work only, such as:
Painting
Building pathways
Working in the vegetable garden
Planting trees
Building tables & chairs
Building a kitchen, playground, place for a shower, toilets etc.
Minimum age of 18
Police Clearance Certificate on sign-up
Passport copy required on arrival
Basic level of competency in English
Participants are no longer required to bring a negative Covid test with them when they arrive. Instead, participants are expected to bring a self-test kit and do a rapid test upon arriving at the accommodation.
The Green Lion do not require the participants to be vaccinated. We can accept unvaccinated participants along with a PCR test negative report that is done within 72 hrs of arrival.
However, please still check please with your airlines and the country's health guidelines on this matter.
Volunteers need to be flexible and keep an open mind concerning their placements as situations can arise beyond our control which could require you to be placed at a different project than the one you have initially chosen. We will of course always do our utmost to fulfill your initial wishes but do remember that where you are going is quite different from where you are coming and as such one should be prepared for things not always going according to plan.
Volunteering and intercultural travel share a common trait: the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. This program is designed for proactive individuals and groups that are prepared to adapt to the local environment and its current needs. Naturally, the scheduling and activities of our program are subject to change. Alterations in activities are mainly due to changes in local conditions, which we believe is part of what makes overseas programs the interesting adventure and incredible learning experience that they are.
Our projects range from 1 week up to approx. 30 weeks. Projects have a specified minimum stay, then it’s up to you how long you can commit. In our experience the longer you stay the more you will gain, as your understanding of the project broadens and you take on more responsibilities. Every volunteer will be given a certificate of appreciation at the end of their stay as a symbol of volunteering stay.
Modest clothing (covering the knees and shoulders) required while at school or in the community. Long cool trousers are a good idea.
