Bravehearts Sensory Learning Centre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

A space for severely handicapped children and their carers to learn and play.

Many handicapped children in this area of Cambodia (and indeed many areas of South East Asia) face negative social stigma, abuses and neglect. This treatment often stems from shame (due to the perceived stigma of a handicapped child) fear, religious beliefs and poverty.

Children are frequently hidden away from life in basements or left in the street for a life of begging.

There are also higher cases of handicapped children in these areas due to the ongoing effects of Agent Orange (a chemical weapon) used during the Vietnam war that has severely impacted the safety of crops even today.

The Bravehearts ( https://braveheartsprog.org/ ) centre looks after hundreds of these amazing children, each with their own very specific needs.

For years they have been looking for a partner to help them build a sensory garden at their centre that will give the children freedom to move around in their own way and engage in a fun way, improving both cognitive skills and physical strength all leading towards an education and a fair start in life.

Working with Building Trust International ( https://buildingtrustinternational.org/ ), with whom I have worked on multiple projects throughout Asia (Including The Love School in Mae Sot) we have some initial designs that we are working to together with the centre staff to finalise.

Proposed budget EUR 20,000

 Parahita-Htoo Learning centre, Tak, Thailand

This school has already been running for 13 years.

Rent is currently is approx 75 EUR a month for a small area of land with two small buildings. There is nowhere near enough room for number of students.

The teachers have to schedule class times strangely to accommodate all the students as well as teaching in poor quality spaces such as in the gap between the buildings and in the playground which is hot, muddy etc.

We aim to move to land which has been bought for the school by a private donor, so no rent and no fear of being kicked off the land.

The donor has built on the land already a boundary fence, one building with two classrooms and toilet block of 2 toilets. They also provide Thai teachers.

There is also an operational well on the land and 2x solar panels.

20 students and 4 teachers will begin using new building as the start of this school year.

They teach from nursery to high school.

Currently 60 kids are in the nursery and 187-214 in total in the school. Lots of students want to join school but space does not allow. We plan for the new school will accommodate approx 450 total.

New school should have:

15x regular classrooms
Office room
Computer room
Library
Store
Kitchen & canteen
6 additional toilets

The school is very proud of their students who have graduated and are now going to university in Bangkok studying subjects such as electrical engineering.

The hope is for the new school to be able to teach more students and to have them beginning and finishing their education in one place.

Hopes to increase the number of graduating students going to university to 35-40 over the next 7 years.

Design wise we are in early days, although ground survey has been completed and we are looking at an “Earth-ship” building, this means using local waste and materials for insulation and efficient water systems to make the building as sustainable as possible.

For this project we will again be working with Building Trust International, a highly trusted partner.

Proposed Budget is EUR 50,000

The Paul Sweet Nursery and School

An existing nursery in Mae Sot, Thailand that we have been involved with for around 5 years. The nursery has been a great success and the kids and community love it (particularly the integrated climbing frame!).

The nursery sits on the same land as an associated school, unfortunately Burmese migrants in this area are often kicked off land due to unfair landlords and a lack of rights.

The time has come to move the nursery and school because a large road is being built straight through the land.

We have a new secure piece of land nearby with a guaranteed lease of 3 years and an option to extend.

These projects have been built in such away that we can move the majority of the materials, the main costs are labour and ground work (foundations, back filling etc)

To get the kids into a new safe area with many building improvements we are looking for a budget of approx EUR 20,000

WITH MANY THANKS AS ALWAYS