Life & Hope Association

EDUCATION

Moral/Ethic Education:

LHA has considered moral/ethic education is very important too for social welfare, the social morality decreasing is a questioning for the world that causes many problems such as wars and killing etc. Strengthening and extending Social Morality Education is a key factor for social happiness and life-quality. If a society that is practicing high cord of conducts, high social morality, it means that society is no wars, no killing, no violence, no prejudices, no ill-treatments, no ill-will, no conflicts, no exploitation of others, but full of respecting to human rights, good virtues, respecting each others, being in equal treatment, high life-quality, peaceful society, and heaven society etc. Losing morality is a losing of human being’s quality, so what once will be if one lost own being’s quality?, and what’s about society? Or world?

Health Care Education:

Health care education is vitally important for families and Communities. Many Cambodian people are living without even the most basic understanding of proper hygiene and disease prevention. The Buddha said that “Aroggiya Paramam Lapha” “Health is paramount”, “Health is the highest gain” “Health is the greatest Bless One”, “Being without diseases is excellent”.

Natural Environment Education:

Natural Environmental protection and preservation of Cambodia is an issue that is sometimes overlooked. LHA believes in also educating families and increasing awareness of morality, sanitation and environmental issues. In fact, we all are not independent, but interrelated, interconnected with the other things of nature, and they have their places and functions, so before we cut down or destroy the natures, especially trees, we should be very careful and balance. The people just look at those cultures where emphasis is on exploiting nature to the full, squeezing every last drop out of it without putting anything back, conquering and subduing it. The nature has revolted, the air is becoming poison, the rivers are polluted and dead, so many beautiful animals, species are extinct, the slopes of mountains are barren and eroded and the climate is changing. In Cambodia, just very short period of time, nature is changing a lot, the weather is too hot, the rain is out of seasons, the fertile-land is barren, the This means that we are destroying them, they are harm us, we killed them, then they are killing us, we separated them, they make us unhappy. So, if we were a little less anxious to crush, destroy and kill them, this terrible situation may have not arisen. We all should strive to develop a little more respect for natural lives.

Free Foreign Language Education:

LHA have been running free foreign language schools, which located both in the communities and Wat Damnak, We have 18 classes are running for all, those are English classes, Japanese classes and Thai classes too. This is only the greatest opportunity for the communities –especially for the Orphans, poor children, street children, rubbish children to get foreign language education, if they go to private schools/classes, they would have to pay at least $ 3 - $ 7 per month for one student. In Siem Reap also foreign languages are very important, if one who is good in English or Japanese, that means he/she is privileged or easy to get a good job in the Hotels, Restaurants and tourist agencies etc, But if not so, even they got Bachelor Degree is still hard to get a job too. So, this manifested that the Languages are very very important and very popular in Tourist City as Siem Reap. To date we have more than 500 (nearly 600) students both adults and children, boys and girls from various communities are learning in our schools, simultaneously the focusing on the knowledge foreign Languages and quality of education but also morality. We are planning to expand schools into various communities, especially remote areas as possible as with our resources.

Non-Formal Education:

Informal Education Program is very special program to give magnificent opportunities to only orphans, vulnerable children, street children, and beggar children, adults who are unable to access education in the public schools. They can learn same as public schools, we arrange same curriculum as public even the teaching times except we add English hour which no in public schools. After finish one school year, they will be integrated into the public schools and they can continue their grade. Currently, this class, we have 30 special children, studying Khmer, Math, Morality, English and Photography, from 1.00PM – 5.00PM, Mon – Sat. his project funded by The Angkor Photographer Festival (APhF). After they come to this class, they all start changing their lives from beggars, street children or rubbish children etc to do something productive and acceptable. These small first changes gradually will change their whole lives and their futures.

Basic Need Supporting:

In order to those children can go to school, or free to school, they also needs us to support them with some kinds of basic needs too, because what caused them unable to go school is poverty, so-called something to full their stomach today. Every day, they have to work hard to serve their lives as well as their families. If we just educate, encourage them without any support, that would be useless or hard to achieve, simply speaking, full today, sleep and think for tomorrow, if not full today how can they care for tomorrow.

LHA has supporting them with basic needs such food, clothing, materials, accommodations, school supplies, school uniforms, school bags, books, and health services etc. For foods, we deliver every months very regularly for 70 children, and 20 very poor families, which funded by Rice for Cambodia (RFC), Australia, and sporadic delivery from generous friends too.

Food Support: We divided food support into two kinds, 1: For very poor children, disable people who are living in the communities, costs $ 5 per month for each, which they can get 17kg of rice, 2 bottle of soy source and 2 tins of can-fish. 2: For very special children (if they don’t get any support from us, they couldn’t go to school at all, very very poor), costs $18 per month for each, which they can get 35 – 50kg of rice, 10 bottle of soy source, 10 tins of can-fish, 1kg of oil, 1kg of salt, and some other things.

School Supplies: cost $ 9 Per YEAR for a child, they can get school uniform, school bag, school-books, two pens, pencil, erasers, sharpener, pencil-case, drawing paper, color pencil, line, and so on. But if no school uniform costs only $ 5 or $ 6 for each.

These special activities will be the most helpful and important for the children to enjoy their learning with other classmates. I don’t how to describe about their feeling, but I just remember my feeling is like I am in the heaven, even I don’t know where is the heaven?, how happy in heaven!. So, just stop smoking, saving that money to make a world better!!!.

Health Services: Most orphans, poor children, street children have no possibility, or very difficult to access health services at the health center or hospitals, because of poverty, knowledge and understanding of importance of health is very limited etc. So, we provide health services for those children, to make sure their health is ok, and they have been checking and accessing at the health services like the other children.

Vocational Training Center

Even LHA is very young association, but we are planning to run three sorts of vocational training centers. We would appealing for the donors, NGOs, Generous Agents, Generous Friends etc, who wish to make a big different to support these projects:

         A). Computer Training Center

         B). Sewing Training Center

         C). Handicraft Training Center

These centers are very important to build sustainable human resources as well as to keep them with sustainable incomes too.

Income Generation

Many poor and handicapped families have no regular jobs, most of them are jobless, daily income out of forcing their children to beg or pick up rubbishes, so that why we see those parents always force their children work hard to make money to support their family. Many children have play key role as the family responsible till most of them have no time, no way to think of their education, and future. So, the Income Generation is very important to ensure the daily incomes for vulnerable families, then their will be free to go to school etc.

House and Water Well Building

To build a wooden-home, size 4.5m x 5.30m, with leaf-roof, leaf-wall, costs around $ 850 - $ 950, for unfortunate families like who we are working with, to build a small shelter only to hide their children from sun, rain, and wind etc are really not easy at all for them, they have to spend almost a whole life, some of them gone away without left a small shelter for their children, but with your support it takes them only 2 or 3 days to build it.

Building a house by LHA’s monks is not only for living, but also a peaceful, a happy, and a hopeful house for their children, and also is a place of starting a cohesive society, helping each other, equal treatment, spreading out of loving-kindness and compassion of whole community. Because when we build a house, not only by monks of LHA, but also participation from local authority and whole community members.

Macro Library

LHA didn’t run it yet, but we think that it is crucial for community as well as children, because It is part of public education. Reading and researching is not widely yet in Cambodia, so, we can run macro library within the communities or schools, especially primary schools.

School Sponsorship

I hope I need not to tell you that how’s important of EDUCATION?, As a Life and Hope Association’s Children Education Sponsor you'll provide a child with equal education, equal life-opportunities, love, peace, happiness, and brightly future etc.

Sponsorship changes two lives:

YOU & WHO?

Please have a look, if you are a sponsor of our Children or Adults, you will receive: Letters and pictures you'll treasure, You will receive a photo of your child/adult and information about his or her life, as well as personal letters from your sponsored child/adult. We encourage you to write back to your child/adult and build a great relationship that can mean so much to you both.
We will update you with:
-Our Child/adult Progress Report keeps you in the picture. You'll receive a yearly progress report on your sponsored child/adult's progress in his or her studies as well as an update on their physical, emotional, and intellectual development.
-Additional information is available, if you're interested, you may request other information about the child/adult, and his or her family and community. We'd be delighted to do all we can to create a meaningful bond between you and your sponsored child/ad

Note: Please feel free to be a sponsor of LHA’s children, as long as you wish. You may sponsor as many children as your resources permit. Right now is the perfect time to change a child's life forever. We are waiting for someone like you.
There are many ways like be sponsor a child, make a donation, give charitable gift and so on, that means you can join us to make a world smiling with peace, happiness and hopes. Just stop smoking, and saving that money to sponsor a child/adult today and change their life forever:
         -For Children Education: $ 40 a year (primary school kids)
         -For Adult Education:   $ 70 a year (grade 7 – 9)
                                             $ 100 a year (grade 9 – 12).
                                             $ 350 - $ 400 a year (University)

Please see picture and pick up now!

LHA Monk Education Sponsorship:

Before you say "Yes" or "No" to sponsor us, we would like you to take a look first, who are monks?, where we are from? what we are doing? and ask someone else who realizes well about monks in Cambodian Society etc. You can see more about the monks on our webpage, however I would be happy to tell you very briefly here too that all monks are from different families, different areas/places and different situation, from both rich and poor families in Cambodian Society. The main purposes of monk-hood are self-help and help others indiscriminately etc. In Cambodian’s minds, Pagodas and monks are great treasures and especially they see pagodas as Educating/changing & Training Center only. So, if you look more closer to pagodas and monks, you will see that pagoda is only a place for education and helping Center. The monks follow/practice monastery disciplines very strict too and life leading is model for all Cambodians. The Aftermath of Khmer Rouge, Pagodas were left only ruin and quietness, and up to date Pagoda Education System is not widening or standardize internationally yet but still many monks still keep firmly practice their roles too, even we are in hard situation to push out the darkness for ourselves but also working hard to help the people.

As traditionally, Pagodas are always concerned and care of people ‘s welfares so much, and not only for Cambodians or Buddhists but also for all, the people from all direction can come and get a peace, confidence, and refuge in Pagodas if they need.

For LHA’s Monks are voluntarily working, selves sacrificing and dedicating with tireless efforts for social affairs. It does not mean that we are working on behalf of Religion, but Humanitarian only, our solely goal is to alleviate the suffering of the people with indiscriminating, not putting more depression on them.

Volunteer Staff

Monks of Life and Hope Association can work well because of great collaborating with Lay People, those are Khmer Young Youth. LHA monks could not work well without their supporting, as monks could not drive motorbike by themselves e.g. Monks are not good or no skills at accounting at all, So, Monks really need support from them even they are young and as students.

Staff Capacity Building

Life and Hope Association (LHA) is still very young, knowledge, Capacity and experience are still very limited, So in order to develop, strengthening, potentiality, more effective works and to be sustainable of the association, LHA needs to build its staff capacity in all level from especially the management team, all staff will receive the staff capacity building concord to their position.

Volunteer Opportunities

Life and Hope Association (LHA) would appealing for all ladies, Gentlemen, and friends who want to make this work better, more happier, more smiling, warmth and hopes, please join us by sharing your own resources both materials, funds and times to work as volunteers in the fields as following

A). Part Time Teachers:

English Teachers * Japanese Teachers * Thai Teachers

         B). Trainees: computers & Hotels, Restaurants etc.

         C). Community Researcher

         D). Field Workers

Taking Tours

LHA would be pleased and welcome the Ladies, Gentlemen and Generous Friends to take tour in our association that we can provide you with:

Presentation of LHA & Briefly about Buddhism
Taking tour in Wat Damnak, LHA’s school, Nunnery etc
Taking tour to community, visiting LHA’s children and real lives of Cambodians etc

Note: These service free for everyone, but transportation & water e.g. please self-organize.