In October 2016, I met Vireak, a private tuk tuk driver and teacher who had a dream, to educate the under privileged children of Cambodia with basic language skills for free. I really wanted his dream to come true so co-founded The Beehive School with him, and set up his online presence via a website and a Trip Advisor page to attract people to his cause.

The Beehive School has been up and running for one and a half years. Thanks to the hardwork and dedication of Vireak Kong, and the many volunteers that have come to teach and support the school.

Vireak is the official teacher of the school: he is always there, dry season or rain season, to share his knowledge with the local children. He is supported by native-speaking volunteer teachers, who are a mix of long-term volunteers, travellers and expats. When they arrive to the school each day they are welcomed by a crowd of smiling faces running towards them.

Vireak works with local children and adults to teach them English, French and German all for free! In order to fund the project and help the families of the drivers, he offers sightseeing tours for people who would like to explore Battambang and learn about Cambodia’s rich history and culture.

The students

The students live in the commune Sophi II, in poor conditions. For some of them, their parents are working in other countries to send money home and they are raised by other relatives. Many of their families don’t understand the importance of education but now they see how motivated they are when they go to school. The students just love to be there and love to learn.

Why Battambang?

The district of Battambang is one of the poorest in Cambodia – an estimated 40 per cent of the population lives on less than one US dollar a day. Poverty is especially striking in rural areas. Many households do not have access to agricultural land of their own – they work as seasonal day labourers. They often live in precarious shacks which are put together with bits of wood and plastic. Many families are tempted to migrate to Thailand in search of a better life. Human traffickers operate in the area, promising vulnerable people jobs where they can make a decent living. However, these promises are false and all the members of the family, including children, can end up in conditions akin to slavery.

Over 43 per cent of the population of the region is under the age of 18. Children suffer most from the harsh social and economic conditions – the under-five mortality rate is higher than average for Cambodia, and the number of children suffering from malnutrition is alarming. Children are often required to work on the land as they have to provide food for the family. Because of their involvement in the fields, they often do not go to school – it is therefore hard to improve their prospects for the future. Furthermore, these stressful conditions have a huge impact on family life, and many fall apart, leaving countless children without parental care.

Positive impact

Battambang has a growing tourism centre – vital to economic growth and helping families out of poverty. Learning multiple languages will provide them with future opportunities. Furthermore, thanks to Vireak and the volunteers, the children are often engaged in different social and cultural activities, in a safe environment, which already allowed them to discover the circus and to participate in a day of cleaning the city to raise awareness to the importance of keeping the city clean and free of plastic.

Why do we need money?

We would like to raise money for the following things:

Text books, paper, pens and crayons

Electricity connection

A computer for the children to use

Access to internet

Printer paper and cartridges

School uniform

Soap

Website update and domain (so people can donate and volunteer to teach)

Visit for more information

https://www.facebook.com/BeehiveSchoolCambodia

https://beehiveschoolcambodia.com