Building a Science Lab for NHCC School
I will be returning to New Hope for Cambodian Children (NHCC) during the Australian School Summer holidays (depart December 11, 2015). I have been so blessed to be involved with NHCC since teaching there from October to January 2014-2015.
New Hope for Cambodian Children opened in late 2006, ‘Our Village’ is an 18 acre property located in Kampong Speu province that provides a full range of housing, nutritional, health and educational needs to orphaned and abandoned children infected with
HIV/AIDS.
'Our Village’ currently cares for over 185 children between the age of 2 and 18 who have no other housing alternative; most of these children were orphaned when their parents died of AIDS, and others come from families who no longer have the capability
or financial resources to care for them. The children are referred to NHCC by hospitals, INGOs and NGOs, at an average of five per month. Most orphanages in Cambodia will not accept children with HIV, thus the children are referred to NHCC.
In 2013, the NHCC started the NHCC International School to give the children of NHCC the best education possible. The children of 'Our Village' attend school on-site full-time.
Through donations, the school has expanded to 17 dedicated classrooms and continues to expand so the older students can begin to attend full-time. The older children currently attend a local high school each morning and have supplemental classes in
Maths, Chemistry, Physics and English at Our Village in the afternoons and evenings.
The main aim:
The world is increasingly becoming a scientific place. We need to equip our future leaders with the ability to communicate scientifically so they can make informed decisions at a local, national and global level. We strive to ensure that all NHCC
children have the opportunity to receive an education that best matches their talents and abilities. The goal is to equip them with the tools and skills that will enable them to become productive members of Cambodian society when they leave our care.
The Fundraiser:
The school is now seeking to build a dedicated science lab and to fill it with the appropriate science equipment to encourage a new generation of budding scientists.
Through fundraising, we can all help to contribute to this exciting new chapter in the future of NHCC.
- Build a dedicated science classroom
- Furnish the room with the equipment needed to teach Science. This would include:
Rubber tubing, bunsen burners, stands, clamps, glass beakers, test tubes, tongs, cylinders, flasks, thermometers, stop watches etc.
Also, the important safety equipment (e.g. goggles, coats etc) needed to keep the students safe in a science environment.
The 'wish list' to purchase just 1 of every item is in excess of $600, so every dollar counts to gather a class set.
Last year my fourth grade loved being part of a Rube Goldberg experiment (Click for video)
Imagine the possibilities that more science can bring to creativity and critical thinking! So- here's what we can do:
* $20- buys a bunsen burner
* $50- buys a set of 10 stopwatches
* $150- a class set of scalpels, and other dissection equipment
Of course, any donation of any amount is most welcome.
