Cambodian Community Dream Organization, Inc.

Dream Journal – September 2024



End of School Year

As children in many places around the world start their new school year our Cambodian schools head home for their 2 month school break in September and October.

TaBrok Computer Teacher, Mariny Potatah, found a creative way to reward her outstanding students.

She awarded prizes to students who consistently completed their work or exercises ahead of time. Happy smiling faces.

Anna Takai Creates Workbooks

Anna Takai, a rising 17 year old student at MITA International School in Tokyo, Japan, has been working relentlessly for the past two years with our Education Team to produce English workbooks for our 4th – 6th grade students. Her collaboration with our education team was highly professional and she was able to work in harmony with the team.

Student dropouts was her motive in producing workbooks that would excite the students to study and keep them in school.

The workbooks measure a diverse set of results from knowledge, enjoyment, motivation, effort, and confidence. Our updated workbooks could change student mindsets and enable more students in Cambodia to feel the importance of education and prevent teachers at rural schools from feeling overwhelmed just to commute to school despite their low pay and quality. 

Anna certainly produced the ideal workshop books. Not only that, but she also personally fundraised $350 to produce 100 workshop books. CCDO sponsors have stepped up to produce more books to ensure the students can take the workbooks home to study.

The Joy Link Podcast

Brian Bibi, our very creative graphic artist who reliably designs our newsletters each month has started a weekly podcast with his creative partner, Julia Glazewska. They talk about the many aspects of how to live a joyful life, from neuroscience & Ikigai to being in the flow.

They also interview various personalities to find out what they do to have Joy in their lives. CCDO president, Jenni Lipa, was the subject of their recent podcast as to what brings her joy. Click on the link for a delightful way to bring a bit of joy to your life today.

Jenni’s interview @ thejoylink.com

Staff News

Congratulations to our Teacher Trainer, Choeurm Chork, who graduated with a Master of Educational Management (ME.d) within the Master of Educational Science. Well Done!

Board of Directors

We are honored to introduce our new CCDO Board Members

Kirk Bauer first met Jenni in the fall of 2011 when Jenni was asked to give a talk at one of his school classes at Riverside High School in Yonkers, NY. Both Kirk and his wife Kara had visited Cambodia that summer and immediately became long-time sponsors and champions of CCDO. In 2013, they visited Cambodia again conducted our first professional English classes to our students as well as teachers. 

Rose & Katherine Wang are two sisters who moved with their parents from Hong Kong to New York where they attended high school. They immediately started fundraising for wells, toilets and other much needed supplies. The girls would visit Cambodia for a few weeks each summer and brought with them many friends. One particular summer, their group sanded and painted old desks to make them usable. 

I have fond memories of Katherine doing BMI exams on the kids and using her phone to measure the height of the kids. You could always find her reading to the kids in the library. Both sisters have graduated college. Rose is working in Finance and Katherine is spending 2 years in Tanzania volunteering with the Peace Corps. They are excellent examples of young people giving back to society.



Donors

Jenn Forney, our long time Board Member, generously gave $5,000 to be used for Education. Her husband, Jim Zygutis faithfully gives a recurring monthly donation of $300.

A shout out to George & Grace Markos who donated a water well and then redoubled their efforts when we asked if they could also donate a toilet as the house was in an isolated area and they needed a latrine so they didn’t contaminate the water table with the practice of open defecation. The basic things we take for granted are a hardship and health issue for so many!