Books Afloat

Hi All,

We recently finished building a small library on the floating school that KIDS built a few years ago. The school is located in an isolated floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake. There are three large classrooms at the school however one classroom was needed to house the three teachers, who have to live on the school year round. As well the same room stores food from the World Food Program, which helps with food security for the children who are very poor. Last year the teachers asked us if we could split the room in half and make a small library for the students as well as build a small storage area for supplies. They also asked us for books, shelves and a computer so the teachers could make their lessons to print and distribute to the children. As we had put solar on the school is was possible to have a computer; there is no power in the village.

Usually building this kind of room would be no problem however building on the lake brings a whole set of challenges, which we quickly found out. After we bought the wall panels, framing material, screws etc we had to figure a way to get it out to where the boat was. We asked for a truck to bring the materials to the lakes edge, which is about an hour from the city. We waited to meet the truck. We also had our own toolbox and our gear to stay a few days. Not only did we have to bring everything we need for the project we also had to bring everything from mosquito nets to drinking water. We were waiting at the side of the road for the truck when a busload of people pulled up and motioned us over. There on the top of the bus were our panels, not what we had expected but they got there. Next we had to trek the panels down the bank, where fishermen sell their fish and carry them across a number of rickety planks and on to the boat. We got everything out there and spent a few days building the library. Thanks to the Lake Clinic for letting us stay on their floating clinic.

The next step was to buy the books, computer, shelves, mats, fans, white board etc. and do the trip all over again. This time we hired a van and loaded it up, back to the port/fishing bank and onto a very slow old wooden boat. We loaded everything aboard and luckily for us the driver put a makeshift canopy over the boat so we did not have to roast in the blazing sun.

We arrived a few hours later and delivered the materials. The next morning we set up the library and computer. Building and stocking the library took us a couple of week's altogether and at times was very hot and tiring. However once the children entered the library and we saw their faces, as they looked at all the storybooks, it was well worth it. These children have no access to storybooks of any kind. 

The only reading practice they get is reading what the teacher writes on the black board or what they write in their own lesson books. The books we purchased are all in the Khmer language, as children out on the Lake do not know any English. The students entered the library and sat in small groups, on the new mats on the floor and eagerly started to look at the pictures and read. The teachers gave them a lesson on how to turn pages properly and care for the books. 

At lunchtime a few of the young monks, from the floating monastery, rowed over and sat and read the books too.

In our world books are so readily accessed but here in Cambodia reading for pleasure is not available to most children living in poor rural or isolated areas.

While we were coordinating and executing the library we also were working on the logistics of refloating the small, old school with new bamboo. The old bamboo was waterlogged and the building, which serves as the school playground, was sinking slowly and would not have stayed afloat too much longer. KIDS supplied the funding for the bamboo floatation and the community organized and donated their labour to install it, not an easy job. During the nine months of high water on the lake the children have no place to run and play and their movements are restricted to boats and their tiny floating shacks.

Thanks to all for giving these children an opportunity to escape their very difficult lives; they now can jump and run and disappear into different worlds of fantasy, fiction and fables.

All best to you and yours,

Adrianne and Rick