Happy Summer! I
am getting back into the swing of things with blogging, and am re-booting “Cool
Things My Friends Do” with a friend I met while working in the Youth Activities
Department for Disney Cruise Line.
Cool Friend #4:
Misha Patel
Cool Thing #4:
“Ohana Village School Project”
When Misha and I
met, I was fascinated by her love for travel. She was raised in the UK,
backpacked the world, lives in Hawaii, and in July will move to Cambodia where
she will build her own school for children ages three to twelve.
FLOCCADELPHIA: Why this school? Why Cambodia?
MISHA: Since I was young I have always
wanted to volunteer in an orphanage in Cambodia. I ended up Googling different
orphanages and found New Futures Organization, which runs orphanages and works
with village schools. I volunteered there for about a month for my first trip.
I also volunteered at a village school called Little Po, which was built by a
young man who just wanted to make a difference. Little Po became my project and
I ended up going every day, teaching these children who have almost nothing but
are so happy with what they do have. I saw what a difference a school can make
to a community. It’s now two years later, and I have decided to build my own
school.
The
process of finding a school was an overall fun experience. I interviewed three
villages and spoke to the village head and the local people to find out which
place would benefit the most. The village I decided on is called Broo Hoot, and
the school is in Takeo. It was exactly what I was looking for!
FLOCCADELPHIA: What is
the process for constructing it? Are you transforming an already existing
building?
MISHA: I am actually building a school
from scratch. I have an architect who has kindly volunteered their time to come
up with a design for me and I will hire local people and volunteers to actually
build the structure.
FLOCCADELPHIA: What
subjects will they be taught?
MISHA: This will be a school where they
are taught English. Knowing English opens up a lot of doors for people in
Cambodia so these children will benefit a lot. They will learn to speak English
but they will be speaking Khemear (The Cambodian Language) for the
translations.
FLOCCADELPHIA: How are
you getting your teachers?
MISHA: When I arrive in Cambodia in July
I will be interviewing prospective teachers from the village. I will hire 2
teachers who I think would be best suited for the job.
FLOCCADELPHIA: How can
people help your cause?
MISHA: Donating is always a good way to
help! A company has already sponsored me $5000 so I only need to raise $2000
more viahttps://www.ammado.com/community/139463/snapshot
The total
amount will be enough for the building materials, labor, teachers, textbooks
etc. On average it costs about $5 a child for their textbooks and papers and
pens for a year, so not much at all.
Another
way is actually coming out to teach or help build! Follow my page for all the
latest updates on how the school is going! https://www.facebook.com/OhanaSchoolProject
