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Program Description
Khmer New Generation Organization
Description
Did you ever think about combining your personal travel aims with experiencing Cambodian culture life? Would you like the opportunity to not only meet local people but live and work with them and simultaneously help children? Then become a KNGO volunteer! Our English language school in Bospo village, 6 km from Battambang, needs teachers for its enthusiastic students.
Of course it would be best for us (and for you) if you stayed longer than a day or a couple of days but even just one day with one lesson given by you will improve our students' skills. Usually, short time volunteers can teach one hour a day from Monday to Friday from 5.00 pm - 6.00 pm.
A longer stay means you can teach regularly, introduce your own ideas as well as take part in everyday village activity and learn a new way of life.
Our program is as follows:
Teaching English: We currently support 50 children with financial problems. We provide them with English lessons as well as recreational activities. Now our organization is supported by volunteers teaching English to children from Monday to Friday 5.00pm - 6.00 pm. We are constantly looking for more volunteers.
Drug Awareness Education: To prevent the spread of drug abuse in our communities, our organization also conducts drug awareness education for youths, who become peer educators and help reduce the abuse.
Vocational Skills Training: One basic skill besides the English language is a confident use of computers. But we can not start until we have sufficient funds. Right now, we are looking for donors who can help provide us with the necessary funds for this skill and we would appreciate your kind contribution. We will include more skills when our budget is large enough to meet the needs.
Highlights
* Rural living yet in a modern, comfortable house. Hospitality care of NGO Director and his family who you can eat local food with.
* Freedom to develop your own teaching structure and work with the students on both English and other skills.
* Opportunity to learn the Khmer language.
* Opportunity to be involved at grassroots level as the NGO establishes itself.
Qualifications
A TEFL or other teaching qualification is preferred but not absolutely necessary as our other teachers will support you. Those who wish to stay with us for a short time can assist in a class, teach basic words and play learning games with our students, whilst volunteers wishing to work over a longer period of time can take their own class and develop a simple curriculum. We welcome new learning program ideas and encourage you to bring your own material if you wish to do so.
Ratings and Reviews
7 of 14 people found this review helpful
KNGO Lies to Volunteers And Other Contributors About Finances
10%Overall
Rating
20 of 39 people found this review helpful
KNGO Director Saveth Misuses Funds & Lies To Contributors
80%Overall
Rating
The director of KNGO, Sun Saveth, owns the mansion which is used as homestay for volunteers. He pretends to be poor to get donations. This mansion was built with contributor's and volunteer's money which was effectively stolen from the children it was intended to help.
This organization is corrupt. Consider yourself warned. Look at some of the discussions on TravelFish and Lonely Planet before you go to KNGO. Here is another thread to follow:
During my visit at KNGO I noted many volunteers giving money to the director "Sun Saveth." Later I obtained access to expense reports and other financial records, and I discovered that the director does not report all the donations. He tells everyone the same story, which is that he is dirt poor and has no money. However, I have learned that Saveth's family owns an enormous mansion just around the corner from the KNGO office. They claimed that it belonged to an American and told an elaborate story to cover up the fact that Saveth's family owns it. In fact, Saveth and his family are raking in thousands of dollars from kind volunteers and contributors, and they are effectively operating this ngo as a business for their personal profit. During my stay, if a teacher was absent, Saveth would not substitute teach. He would sit on a bench outside the classrooms and the students in the class with no teacher would eventually just leave. He does not really care about the daily education of the students. He is only interested in getting money from tourists. Saveth claims to be a tuktuk driver. But in fact, he only uses his tuktuk to bring volunteers and contributors to stay at the "big house" and put on a poverty show for them. Volunteers naturally have an uplifting experience with the children and leave on cloud nine. Problem is, this organization is a scam. They are in the business of poverty. Their product is poor children. Be advised that about 90% of all organization schools in Cambodia operate according to the same formula. I have lived in Cambodia for more than a year now and worked for 8 schools here. I have visited many others and found most of them doing the same as Saveth: the claim to be poor ordinary people heroically helping their community. And in fact, there is actually a school. Problem is the director is pocketing the contributions. Before you give money to someone like this, please think about visiting a family in the village and helping them directly. Thanks for your interest. Good luck!