Community Profile

Ochrov village is located in Amlaing commune, Thpong district of Kampong Speu province, one of the most remote parts of Cambodia’s poorest province. It is located near the Cardamon mountains within the triangle of Kampong Speu, Pursat and Kampong Chhnang provinces. It is about 120 Km from Phnom Penh and can be accessed by secondary roads, which takes about 3 – 6 hours by car depending on the weather and road conditions.

There are 78 families with 370 people in Ochrov village and children vastly outnumber adults. Their primary economic activity is rice farming and forest scavenging. The area was devastated by drought in 2005 and 2006.

When Bridges Across Borders first visited the village, the illiteracy rate in the village exceeded 80% and 35% of children aged 6 - 14 years old did not go to school because of the long distance they must travel from their homes and the inability to afford unofficial school fees charged by the teachers to supplement their meager salaries. That number went up to a staggering 50% the following year. Very few of students continued to study at secondary school for the same reasons and because they needed to help earn income for their families.

Half of the families in Ochrov rank among the poorest of an overall poor community. These families have no farming land or draft animals and they live with relatives because they do not have a house of their own. They carry a heavy debt burden and they work each day for the food they will eat that day. The primary problems identified by the community in the participatory assessment conducted by Bridges staff in 2006 were an insufficient primary school and a serious lack of access to drinking water.

Primary School Construction and Educational Development

Oda primary school, which serves the children aged 6-14 in Ochrov and neighboring villages, used to consist of one wooden building with three classrooms. One classroom was being used for the school office, one classroom for grade 1 teaching and another classroom was used to teach three different grades. When Bridges first visited, there were a total of 122 students, yet there was not enough school buildings to use for teaching. Students wanting to complete grade 5 and 6 had to study at another school approximately 8 km from their homes.

The two teachers that worked at the school were required to teach numerous grades, and one teacher was required to teach in another school since there was inadequate number of teachers in the school cluster. They earned 60,000 riel (USD $14.50) as their monthly salaries, which forced them to demand unofficial school fees from students in order to make a living.

We set out to solve these problems by constructing a brand new school house and providing support for teachers and students in order to improve the quality of education in this remote area.

After nearly a year of fundraising and planning and then building, in September 2007, the construction of an additional school building at Oda primary school, with five more classrooms and a teacher’s accommodation facility finally came to fruition. With financial support from the RICE Fund, this new education facility is complimented by comprehensive teacher training and teacher salary supplements that mean students no longer have to pay unofficial school fees. The start of the new academic term saw a two-fold increase in the numbers of students enrolling in comparison to last year - a strong indication that this project is already having a great impact.

As a long-term partner of the school, Bridges Across Borders will be working closely with the school to ensure that teachers receive regular trainings and their performance is monitored and reviewed. A community outreach program is being implemented that conveys the importance of education to parents and highlights the need for them to encourage their children to attend school. In addition to this, the students identified as having the greatest needs are being provided with school supplies and books and bicycles will be provided to children from the most remote areas.

Water Management

With support from our affiliated charity in Ireland, Building Bridges, we have completed the repair of an old dyke and the construction of a water leveler and reservoir that will ensure year-round water supply for the residents of Ochrov village. The 3-4 kilometer walk that villagers made to the nearest river to source poor quality will no longer be necessary this dry season.

The construction of a leveler to protect the dyke and a large reservoir will serve the needs of at least 78 families. Bridges Across Borders supplied these families with home water filters and training on how to use them properly, and already villagers have reported a significant improvement in health. With access to vastly improved education services and a reliable year-round source of clean water, the villagers of Ochrov started this new academic year with new hope for their community.

Photo Gallery

BAB Program Director Sil Sineng meets community members
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