Class is Now in Session
On my most recent jaunt through Cambodia, I had the pleasure of meeting up with a friend I made on my last trip. When I met Rure Rady, he was just finishing up guiding school and eager to start working in the tourism industry. He had a single tuk-tuk and a vision. We spent about four days with him, having him show us around Angkor Wat, bringing us to meet his family and showing us general life in and around Siem Reap. It was a truly amazing experience.
Fast forward two years, and Rady now operates and manages a business with four tuk-tuks. In addition to this, he became qualified as a TESL teacher, and now runs a free English school called The Cambodia English School of Higher Education, which supports up to 200 rural Cambodian children.
Naturally, I wanted to see him again and take a look at all he has done. With four local university students working as volunteer teachers, he runs four classes a day teaching different levels of English, completely free of charge to the children and their families. His entire operation is run by donations, as well as the profits from his business. He has truly accomplished what most people could only dream of, and has given a huge head start to kids who would otherwise have been extremely limited in their education choices.
We wanted to help Rady, so I made a small donation when I met him in person. Within a week he had sent us pictures of the first stages of his new classroom. A little bit goes a long way in Cambodia, and he definitely proves it. He is hoping to complete this classroom soon and turn it into a computer lab.
Speaking with some of his older students on a rainy evening at the school, I asked them what they wanted to do with their lives. One student said he wanted to be a guide, which is a highly respected and well paid job in Cambodia. Guides must study for years to learn the detailed history of the region and be able to function as walking encyclopedias of knowledge. Another answer blew me away, when a student told me he wanted to go into IT. Incredible, since the only computer he had ever seen was a dusty secondhand one that Rady had in his office, but I now know what someone with a dream can accomplish in Cambodia.
Trufflepig is accepting donations on behalf of Rady and his school, and we are also encouraging all of our travellers to Cambodia to go pay him a visit. It’s a great way to see how one person can make a huge difference in the lives of so many.
