Kulen Outreach provides access to quality education to children and youth in rural, Northern Cambodia. Our model works alongside the Cambodian Public School System, helping students at the primary level through job placement. Kulen Outreach is not replacing, reinventing or privatizing education in Cambodia.
We realize community growth is important without the continued reliance on external aid. Ultimately, we believe education is the answer and the gift of knowledge belongs to all people. We’ll continue to provide aid until the communities we help are without the need for assistance.
Our program’s roots begin at our primary schools in the remote, rural communities of Northern Cambodia. Decades of war have reduced their livelihood to subsistence based farming where little is left to adequately fund and provide quality education to their children. Working with the local authorities and the department of education, Kulen Outreach provides the necessary support to ensure the younger generation of each community we serve are given access to basic education.
In Cambodia, over 97% of all children enroll in primary school. By the time these kids are in grade 6, more than 55% will have dropped out. Less than 20% of the kids start secondary education. Only 5% of all students will finish higher education. Kulen Outreach strives to provide all our students with elementary, secondary and tertiary education.
In order for children to learn, they need food stability and basic needs. Without it, no one would show up at our primary schools and instead focus on survival. Kulen Outreach provides snacks at our schools, enabling our students to attend school. In addition to food, we provide school supplies, teacher training, uniforms, clothing and bicycles for those who live far from our primary schools.
To improve the quality of life, our organization works closely together with many other wonderful foundations, such as the Archeology Development Foundation and the World Food Bank.
These are facilities adjacent to pre-existing public schools in the countryside. Their purpose is to help deliver education levels far beyond what the community typically achieves. These learning centers primarily house after-public school programs such as English classes, science, music, arts and crafts as well as access to a vast library. The physical facilities usually consist of a technology center, a handwashing/hygiene area, a kitchen, classrooms, and garden spaces. They often include communal areas e.g. an auditorium for community events. These learning centers often become a center of pride for many communities with involvement from every age group within the community.
How to educate our children in the rural countryside past the 6 grade level? Many secondary schools are few and far between throughout the remote areas of Northern Cambodia and students, dropout, unable to travel the great distances required to attend school.
Our solution was to build a large campus and dormitory in Siem Reap. Its purpose is to house students from the countryside, provide them with English and other supplementary classes while giving them access to the public secondary schools in Siem Reap. We started with 10 students in 2016. In 2022 we completed the final phase of our campus allowing us to house 100 students. It’s now become a small community center with our first graduates moving on to the university in 2022.
Kulen Outreach offers many ways to get involved in our program. Whether it’s on the ground in Cambodia or from abroad, come join our cause!
