I had not been out to the Prey Veng preschool for a while, and so when Dara said he wanted to make some improvements for the children, I decided to tag along.

We went out on a Saturday when there was no school scheduled, and Dara said he had an idea for some playground equipment. We bought a bunch of metal and he began welding pieces together… but I must confess I didn’t think he knew what he was doing. I did watch from a distance. I am very protective of my one eye, and so was not a lot of help.

Surprisingly, by Monday morning, Dara and his father had completed the playground equipment, and after morning exercise, the children were allowed to test it out.

It was a huge success, and no one wanted to go in when it was time to study.

But with the promise that if they studied hard, they could return to the playground, the children cooperated and classes got underway. Many of the parents stayed around to watch their children enjoy the new equipment whenever there was a break.

There was one other project that Dara wanted to complete before we returned to Phnom Penh, and that was to build a flagpole and a small garden area. We spent the next three days buying the flowers and the Buddha. It was a lot of work for Dara and his father, but the results were well worth the effort, and I think will add much to the development of the children.

If you would like to be a part of this, you can donate through the SAHAKA website, or if you live in Cambodia, use this QR code: