Global Playground Announces New Middle School in Cambodia

One year after receiving our first online donation, we have completed our fundraising campaign for a primary school in Buwasa, Uganda. Now, with school construction well underway, Global Playground is turning to Southeast Asia for its next project. Last May, Board members Edward Branagan and Doug Bunch went to Cambodia where they had a chance to visit several schools and nonprofit organizations. And what did they find? They found children eagerly learning under makeshift bamboo roofed huts. They saw children express their dreams with crayons on a piece of white paper. They witnessed children just trying to be children.

So why do we turn to Cambodia? Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, where the majority of children show physical signs of malnourishment. The consequences of the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970's are still evident; Cambodia remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world with more amputees per person than any other country. AIDS and child trafficking also plague the region. Though history has not always been kind to Cambodia, its future prospects are high. With tourism generated by the Tonle Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, and Angkor Wat, the world-famous Hindu and Buddhist temple complex, the country's economy is picking up. Learn more about the project...

In conjunction with our partnering organization, American Assistance for Cambodia, we will build a five-classroom middle school in the Kandal Province, a rural area outside Phnom Penh, for $13,500.

You can help us build it. Join our Virtual Brick Campaign. With your help -- one brick at time -- we'll build our school in Cambodia.