COVID-19 is still the hottest topic in Cambodia. From day by day, the situation is not under control. Everything is still shut down, school, market, restaurant, and any kind of places and activities that involve many people. But that hasn’t stopped us from providing support.
While COVID still remains and keeps the situation unpredictable, the CFI learning center is still providing services to students, just in a different way. We have used phone calls, teaching in the community, and reopening our learning center classes to continue teaching our students.
Currently we let students weekly come and get handouts from our learning center but not enter in any classes. Every time, students get the new handouts they also return the old ones, and our teachers check the students’ work and give feedback in the following weeks. If the teachers see any students who get stuck with their work, our teachers will make phone calls to give extra support to those students.
It’s a bit challenging for our students as well as our team as COVID exists and goes around. Many of our students/parents are afraid of going out of their homes, so not all of our students appear to get handouts. Within this situation, we have found that if our students have resources to access online classes at their homes, our teachers could help them learn better.
On the other hand, our Community Campaign project had a big success for rounds 1-3! All CFI members worked as one team and reached out to the community and shared the key messages to family, schools, and local authorities. We maintained a good protocol by reducing the number of community gatherings, wearing masks, keeping distance, informed, and got permission from the local authority. Currently, we can’t go out, so the round 4 campaign approached online by sharing the video / key messages through social media.
The Duke of Edinburgh – young people still at least do one of three activities at home (for instance: physical or skills), award leaders have a regular follow up and provide any support if needed. The challenge is we can’t do the journey as per timeline due to traveling restrictions caused by covid-19. In the alternative, motivate them to do activities at home, have a regular follow with them via phone call or messenger, ask them to share video/ photos/ story while they’re doing home. Connection makes them motivated!
NGI expansion – Before the situation turned worse, we had already completed 90% of the project such as provided training to partners and delivered courses to young people. During this current situation, we have only one more group which we will approach online courses. The challenge to the project was the uncertainty of covid-19 and caused the project timeline delay from time to time.
Just For Kicks – after recovering from last year we did the re-start of the program and the coach session conducted in March 2021 with four different schools. Then the covid outbreak started again and the school remained closed. Currently, what we can do is to maintain the connection with coaches, prepare the coaching engagement, and work plan when the schools allow starting.
From the social work team, we are still following up with the family by phone and if it’s an emergency case, we work in partnership with Commune Council for Women and Children staff to ensure children are safe. We provide training to local authority
Colleagues online. We keep providing monthly rice support but in a different way by asking family to come one by one. Children’s safety is important so we follow up with the families by phone to remind them to keep the children safe and wash their hands, keep social distance and stay home if they don’t have to go out.
COVID- 19 is starting to have more of an impact here in Cambodia. We will continue to deliver services, within the Government’s boundaries. As ever, we can only continue to do this with your partnership, many thanks for continuing to work with us.
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