CLS has carried out a wide range of improvements to its school facilities as well as projects in the surrounding rural community over the years. A snapshot of some of these is provided below.
Shelter Building
In its first ten years the CLS Shelter Building Program provided over 100 shelters for needy families in Chumkriel and neighbouring communities. Materials were financed by individual donors and by organisations such as Pacific Discovery https://www.pacificdiscovery.org/. In some cases volunteers worked alongside local builders, the families who were being assisted and their neighbours to construct the shelters.
In 2018 Habitat for Cambodia http://habitatcambodia.org/ partnered with CLS to continue the program. It increased the budget for each shelter to provide a more enduring house and, where necessary, to provide a toilet as well, setting a target of 30 builds per year. To the end of 2022 this partnership has seen a total of 135 builds completed.
New shelters and toilets change lives! Families take pride in their new home. With better protection from weather, and hygienic living conditions, health and security improve. Parents are better able to work. Children attend school regularly.
Water Tanks for Villages
Before town water was piped to villages, in the dry season water for such basic needs as drinking, cooking and cleaning was scarce. Villagers might travel several kilometres to collect water from ponds and canals. Carting it home in 30 litre containers on bicycles or on foot was tiring and time-consuming.
In 2014 and 2015, CLS purchased and installed 10,000 litre water tanks for three local villages. The tanks were installed at the homes of the respective village chiefs, and each was filled with clean water.
These tanks saved families long treks to get water of doubtful quality. A fee of 300–500 riel (8 to 12 cents) to fill a 30-litre container provided money to refill the tanks, so the project was self-sustaining. The poorest families got their water for free.
Most villages now have piped water nearby and CLS, through its Shelter Building Program, provides and installs piping to connect needy families who can’t afford the connection cost.
CLS Oval and Pond
For several years neither Chumkriel Language School nor the adjoining Chumkriel Government School had an oval for students to play sport. In the dry season a rice paddy was the only location where children could kick a football or play other sports.
In 2014 funds provided by donors allowed CLS to develop an oval. Fill raised the ground level to reduce wet season flooding, and imported sand spread over this provided a soft playing surface. A high fence was installed around the perimeter and soccer goals were placed at either end.
The excavation from which fill was removed became a pond serving as a water source for the CLS vegetable garden.
Basketball and Volley Ball Court
In 2015 an Australian donor financed construction of a covered area suitable for basketball, volley ball, and class games. It was also designed as a space for school assemblies and events such as Reading Days and scholarship presentations, allowing these to go ahead without exposure to rain in the wet season or the blistering sun in the dry season.
Library
In 2015 the Rotary Club of Dubbo provided funds and its members worked alongside Khmer builders to construct a library adjoining the existing CLS Learning Centre. When it was finished, students and staff from Woodleigh School painted bright murals on the internal walls and provided furnishings to make it an attractive and functional space.
The library is in daily use by students of both the CLS Learning Centre and the adjoining government school.
Outdoor Learning Area
A generous grant from an Australian donor allowed building in 2015 of an Outdoor Learning Area near the existing CLS buildings. Its elevated floor and tiled roof allow it to be used in all weather, sheltered from both sun and rain.
The Outdoor Learning Area serves for class activities that complement indoor classroom teaching. Without the restriction of desks, it’s an ideal area for art and craft, singing and games. And the free flow of air makes it fresher and cooler than the indoor classrooms.
Saltfield Oval and Playground
The saltfields are a stark wasteland where families live in rudimentary shelters amidst a patchwork of brine lagoons and salt pans. Nowhere was there a place for children to meet and play in a safe and sheltered environment.
In 2015 the United World College of South East Asia and other donors provided funds for an oval and a covered playground on land in the centre of the salt fields. Volunteers from UWCSEA worked with a contractor to complete the project.
The oval site was filled to lift it above wet season flooding, surfaced with sand, and enclosed by a high fence. Beside this, a raised concrete floor was poured with a supporting frame and roof over it as the site for a sheltered playground. Climbing frames, swings and see-saws were then installed. The saltfield oval and playground became a central place in the extensive spread of salt fields where facilities are available for children to get together and have fun.