We are excited to announce that Pacific Prime and Room to Read has established a literacy program in Chhouk Primary School, Cambodia.
Since our founding in 1999, making a positive difference in local communities has always been our core principle. In particular, both Pacific Prime and Room to Read share the goal of eliminating illiteracy in the world by creating child-friendly learning environments in primary schools.
For this reason, Pacific Prime has decided to provide financial support for Room to Read's project at Chhouk Primary School, which involves establishing a new school library, providing library management training, and delivering literacy instruction training for teachers.
Getting to know Room to Read
Originating from Nepal in 2000, Room to Read has grown to become a global non-profit organization that has partnered with more than 37,000 schools worldwide, providing literacy programs to over 18 million children in 16 countries.
Room to Read's focus lies in increasing literacy levels in children across the world through providing better education materials, training for teachers, and transforming learning environments. As a result, children in Room to Read supported classrooms are able to read up to twice as fast as their peers in schools without the organization's support.
If you'd like to support Room to Read, you can make a donation today that will go directly towards funding their projects in developing countries around the world.
Pacific Prime's collaboration with Room to Read
As an expert who provides health insurance to families all over the world, Pacific Prime has been an avid support of Room to Read for the past decade. Our past projects with Room to Read include:
With our newest project, Pacific Prime funds Room to Read's literacy program in Chhouk Primary School, Cambodia. The school currently has 353 children, but only 13 teachers. It is situated in the low-income province of Banteay Meanchey, where almost half of the population lives below the poverty line.
"We are delighted to be working alongside Room to Read once again to help provide quality education to children in Chhouk Primary School. We have a shared goal of giving children around the world an equal chance at learning, and we look forward to achieving that goal here in the Cambodian province of Banteay Meanchey, Niel Raymond, Founder and CEO at Pacific Prime."
To achieve this goal, there are three pillars in Room to Read's project in Chhouk Primary School:
- Establishing a new library
- Providing library management training
- Providing literacy instruction training for teachers
1. Establishing a new library
In this pillar, small libraries will be established throughout the school, such as in empty teacher's offices or unused storage space. This will allow children to gain access to school books throughout different corners of the campus.
The libraries will be stocked with a total of 335 local language books published by Room to Read, as well as 980 non-Room to Read local language books. The library walls will be covered in maps, educational posters, and student work to create a fun learning environment for pupils. Finally, shelving and furniture will be provided to help teachers and students easily access the library's resources.
2. Providing library management training
Teachers and designated librarians will be provided with at least three days of training in the first year of support, along with 1-2 days of refresher training during the second and third years of support.
The training sessions will focus on these two following themes:
- Outlining the importance of libraries and reading, as well as how to run library periods and reading activities for children.
- Training teachers to create children-friendly environments that encourage reading, as well as providing general library management guidelines.
Room to Read will also support teachers by providing direct coaching and program implementation feedback during regular library monitoring visits. This helps to ensure that the newly established libraries are being managed optimally for children at Chhouk Primary School.
3. Providing literacy instruction training for teachers
Finally, Room to Read experts will work closely with all Grade 1 teachers to improve literacy learning for early grade students.
Teachers will be provided with 10 days of professional development training, aiming to allow teachers to better build students' literacy skills in Khmer, Cambodia's official language. In this stage, 5 key topics will be covered in the training:
Furthermore, teachers will also be provided with learning materials to support their training. Training coaches from Room to Read will also visit classrooms twice per month to ensure that teachers are implementing new instruction techniques when teaching early grade students.
Can I also support these children?
You absolutely can. To get involved, simply visit Room to Read's donation page. There, you can either choose to make a one-off or monthly payment to support Room to Read's efforts around the world.
You can also get involved with other charities, such as participating in fundraiser events, practice compassion in the workplace, or spend time actively helping those in need. To find opportunities for charity work, visit Room to Read to discover more projects and events today!