Home - HOPE SCHOOL

September 2026

Rainy Season

With the rainy season here, Old Hope Sschool has been badly flooded again. For students’ safety, all classes are suspended and students are to remain at home until further notice.

A New Learning Centre

We are delighted to celebrate the opening of a new learning centre in Sihanouk village. This centre gives children in the community a safe and welcoming place to learn, develop their skills, and grow in confidence. It will provide new opportunities for education and help children build a brighter future for themselves and their village.

Meals for Sen Chay Government School

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but a nourishing meal each week helps keep hunger away for students at Sen Chay Government School. Through Allan’s generous donation, students at Sen Chay School and two other government schools were able to enjoy a decent and fulfilling meal. For many of these children, this regular meal is an important source of nourishment. The meal may be simple, but its impact is significant. We are deeply grateful to Allan and his generosity is making a meaningful difference in the health and education of children in these communities.

Meals for Hope Schools

Thanks to Allan’s continued donations, nutritious meals can be provided to students at all Hope Schools. Although these meals are simple and not a luxury, they are filling and provide the nourishment children need to stay healthy. Allan’s generosity makes a meaningful difference in the lives of many students and supports their education and well-being.

Activities at Hope Schools

Our teachers are regularly supported through Foo Yong Kwong’s monthly contributions. This generous support helps us support part of our teachers monthly salary. Despite their salary not matching those offered in the education sector, the teachers make many personal sacrifices to educate, encourage, and guide the children in our schools. We express our heartfelt gratitude to Foo Yong Kwong for this faithful support.

August 2026

Rice Project for Hope Schools

Every bit of support for the children in Siem Reap is deeply appreciated. Special thanks to Allan for generously providing a bag of rice to each of the 320 students of Hope Schools

Classes at Hope Schools

Thanks to the teachers from the various Hope Schools for generously giving their time to support the children in Siem Reap and help them improve their language skills.

Fun At New HS

Teacher Sophea has always been innovative in managing New Hope School. At times, she plans games instead of conducting a regular lesson, making learning enjoyable and encouraging students to look forward to coming to school.

Published on: December 15, 2015

2015 December Updates - The End of a Great Year!

As the year comes to an end, it was encouraging to see the students were still coming to classes faithfully! Classes were full even till the night. See how focused the students were!

Teacher Thon also interviewed and assessed a potential student for Hope School. He looked so serious about it! Good luck to the new student!

To end off the year, the students had a special treat for the monthly refreshments - crackers! Each student received a pack and enjoyed it at the end of their classes.

Here are to good memories made in the year 2015! May everyone have good luck and be filled with a year of greatness and hope for 2016! Happy new year!

Published on: November 20, 2015

2015 November Updates - Village Extension School Graduation Ceremony

The Singapore volunteer team headed to the village extension school located 1 hour away from Siem Reap main town (by tuk-tuk). The village extension school was part of the church's outreach efforts to provide English language classes to the students. Classes were held on the weekends.

Rough location of where the village extension school is at.

The long journey showed the volunteers the landscape of villages and small towns situated further away from the hustle and bustle of Siem Reap main town. There were a lot of farms where cows roam and rice were being harvested.

The volunteers brought many supplies along to the village extension school: the refreshments, goody bags and the graduation gifts. Here was a shot of the volunteer team!

The tuk-tuk slowed down when they arrived at the village extension school. It was located within a farming compound and could not be seen from the outside.

Click the image to see the panoramic view.

Click the image to see the panoramic view.

The extension school also served as a house church for the villagers. Before the graduation ceremony began, there was a 1 hour devotion where the villagers and the children sang songs during worship.

After that, Sebastian gave a short speech on encouraging the students to learn English. The students were enraptured by his speech and paid full attention to it. His words really motivated them greatly!

After that, the Singapore volunteers took the students for a fun time of games! They played many different types of games, and were surprised when more students joined in right after their classes ended!

In the midst of the games, Phearun, Thon and Vansan helped to distribute the donated clothes from Singapore. The villagers were so happy and thankful for these donations! It would help their families in the long run, especially their children!

After the games were over, the students all gathered back for the graduation ceremony! Excitement was thick in the air!

The graduating students sat down on the mats, waiting patiently for the graduation ceremony to start. They each took turns to receive their certificates and graduation gifts. The volunteers helped to pin their badges too. Look at their class photo!

The students ended the graduation ceremony by enjoying the refreshments! The kaya sandwiches were singlehandedly prepared by Sebastian in the morning. He had painstakingly spread the kaya on each piece of bread and neatly packing them for the long journey to the school! The students simply enjoyed their refreshments! The cool beverages also helped to cool them down.

Throughout the course of the graduation ceremony, the volunteers took many photos with the villagers and the students!

It was time to say goodbye after the graduation ceremony ended. The students left either by foot or by their bicycles. It was heartwarming to see so many young people so passionate about learning English! Surely the village extension school helped them to secure their wishes!

Did you know that the village chief is a lady? It was so rare to meet one from the female gender! What a great blessing!

The group photo with all the students of the village extension school! Cheers!!

And with that, the volunteer trip to Hope School came to an end. To all students: continue to work hard and pursue your dreams! With education, you will be empowered and equipped to do what you want to and to contribute in the development of your country. You have many people supporting you in your learning journey! Cheers and continue fighting on!

Published on: November 19, 2015

2015 November Updates - Graduation Ceremony

The day came where the students of Hope School were either promoted to the next level or graduated! We were so blessed by the sponsorship of these beautiful medals! It was sponsored fully by a generous vendor, who chose to remain anonymous. Thank you for blessing the students with this!

The students were also very blessed by donors for the other graduation gift - English to Khmer dictionaries. This thoughtful gift was meant to motivate the students to learn English on their own. It was a special graduation gift for each of the students.

The tent for the graduation ceremony was set up yesterday. All ready for the graduation ceremony today!

The volunteers arrived early in the morning, but the students were even earlier! They were all excited about the graduation ceremony and could not wait for it to start!

A group of student volunteers stepped up and helped in the preparation of the refreshments for everyone who was present. They prepared kaya sandwich, a special jam that is unique to Singapore. So thankful for their service!

The programme started right after that. Brother Vansan, Teacher Thon and brother Phearun were the main emcees of the event. Teacher Thon shared about Hope School and the hope of equipping the younger generations with a good grasp of the English language. Brothers Vansan and Phearun helped in the games portion. The students loved it!

The Singapore volunteers - Charlyn and Chloe - then led some mass games for everyone to participate. There were much laughter and joy among the students. Some even left with a prize! It sure did look fun!

Each of the student then received their personalized graduation certificates and the graduation gifts. Many of them held their gifts and certificates tightly. They were pleasantly surprised that the bookmarks inside the dictionaries were all individually and specially handwritten by the past and present volunteers' well-wishes for them. Congratulations to all students!

The next highlight was the refreshments! The students took their seats in the various classes while the sandwiches and drinks were being given out. Many of them were able to have second round too! Where there was food, there was also fellowship.

Towards the end of the graduation ceremony, the students hung out with each other and continued playing games. Some even stayed until the end and helped to tidy up the place.

Great memories were formed on this special day. Congratulations to all students of Hope School! Continue the good and hard work, and we hope to see more graduating students next year!

Published on: November 19, 2015

2015 November Updates - Visit to Hope School new permanent site

After Hope School's graduation ceremony, the volunteers headed to Hope School's new permanent site. It was such a joy to see the school being built partially, and that the toilet, the volleyball court and the water pump all installed and ready to be used.

The staffs have plans to use the donations from several donors to build the concrete female toilet. It would be happening in a few months' time.

One bad news was that the left roof of the school compound had to be removed due to the lack of permit given by the authorities. But don't fret! The staffs were working with the authorities to apply for that permit again. Hopefully in a few months' time, the roof can be restored and the classroom made bigger for more students to come and join in!

Presently the school and its possessions were guarded by the construction worker and his family, who were paid extra to guard the school. The toys seen around the area belonged to the children of the construction worker/guard.

The classroom was well sheltered from the scorching sun, and there was good ventilation. The wooden tables and chairs were made by the staffs and volunteers - Vansan, Thon, Phearun and other church volunteers. Thank you for all your hard work for the school!

Some panoramic views of the new permanent site compound! It is a really big area and can definitely serve more students. May the authorities allow the school building to be expanded.

Click the image to see the panoramic view.

Click the image to see the panoramic view.

We are all awaiting with expectation and anticipation for the school to start soon! May this school be a great blessing to the village and the students!

A brief recap:
This new school compound was purchased in May 2015 for Hope School to have a permanent site. The current school compound was rented and the landowner had plans to sell it, thus potentially creating a dangerous situation of displacement for Hope School and her students. No suitable location could be found and purchased in Hope School's current village, but thankfully this new compound was purchased in the neighbouring village (about 2km away from the current location). There are plans to gradually move Hope School's operations to this new compound and increase the enrollment numbers in the near future.

Published on: November 18, 2015

2015 November Updates - Volunteers' visit to Hope School

The final group of volunteers for 2015 headed to Siem Reap, Cambodia for the overseas volunteering trip. It is a relatively new bunch of volunteers - Valery, Jac, Chloe and Charlyn. Valery and Chloe are new to the overseas volunteering trip and to Cambodia. They all couldn't wait to go to Hope School!

On the second day of the trip, the volunteers went to Hope School to teach the students! They had prepared teaching materials for the students. Jac and Valery taught through various activities to get the students to practice English by writing, speaking and playing games. One game that the students really enjoyed the most was making the longest line with the items found on them. The students also played another game - Charades - where they had to act out a certain animal or person and the class had to guess.

Charlyn and Chloe taught the students a particular character trait - Responsibility. They prepared games and activities to teach the students the meaning of the word, how they could display this character trait daily, and to write a goal to be more responsible. The students absolutely loved and enjoyed all the lesson plans!

Some students also had a treat - they had a chance to be taught again by Sebastian! Sebastian is one of the main funders and supported of Hope School. He has always been passionate about education and for a chance for every student who wants to learn. The students enjoyed his lesson greatly!

The volunteers all enjoyed the day of teaching and the students also enjoyed the activities and lesson plans! Beautiful memories were made on that day.

Cannot wait for the graduation ceremony at Hope School tomorrow!

Published on: September 18, 2015

2015 September Updates - Rain, rain, go away!

The rainy season was well underway in Cambodia. There was slight flooding at Hope School and attendance dipped quite a bit. Hope School students had to brave through the rain and muddy puddles to get to class.

But for those who came, they were rewarded with the dedicated and passionate teaching of Teacher Thon, and some nice refreshments too! This month's refreshment was bread with condensed milk, a favourite of the students!

To all the students of Hope School, we're so proud of you on this learning journey! Never lose this fighting spirit of yours. Your future is for you to build and develop!

Published on: July 15, 2015

2015 July Updates - Haircuts and Rain

As July came, she brought with her the start of the rainy season. If you have not been to Cambodia before, the rain pours from the heaven!

Despite the rain, classes still continued on. The teachers believed that if the students were committed in coming to school in spite of the rain, then classes would not stop. Their trust and belief in the students were rewarded greatly.

There had been many elementary school students who came to Hope School after their school lessons. They enjoyed the English lessons thoroughly! Most of them traveled to Hope School by either walking or cycling from their schools.

For students who attended the lessons, they were treated to refreshments! The students always looked forward to refreshments. This month's refreshments were bread with condensed milk. Even though it was a simple type of refreshments, the students absolutely loved it! It was a time of bonding with each other and with their teachers.

The general rule was that if you had a part in the preparing of the refreshments, you had the permission to partake in your hard work! See teacher Thon enjoying the fruits of his labour, while being surrounded by the satisfied smiles of the students! I'm quite sure the refreshments were tasty!

The students also did their part to wash their utensils. They used the water pump to wash their cups and sticky hands.

Even the night classes also had refreshments! No one was left out from it.

The students had an additional treat! Teacher Phearun also came to Hope School to provide haircut services! He is a talented teacher!

So here is it: the updates of July! The students love studying and learning English, and they also love their teachers. Continue to support them in their learning journey!

Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.
- George Washington Carver

Published on: June 18, 2015

June 2015 Updates - 2nd Hope School Anniversary Celebration

It was hardly believable that Hope School has already been operating for 2 years! It seems like it was such a long time since it opened its doors and welcomed the first students. The students all turned up in droves to celebrate the school and give appreciation to the teachers and volunteers!

The volunteers and some students came together early in the morning before the celebration began to prepare the hundreds of loaves of bread meant for the refreshment after the Anniversary Celebration. There was 2 types of sandwiches made - egg or tuna sandwiches. It was so much hard work but so much love given in the preparation of the sandwiches.

Volunteer Mr Vansan is the emcee for the event. The students love his wit and charm! They were so engaged with the ice breakers that he conducted.

After that, the students all had a chance to participate in the 3 station games that the volunteers prepared! Some of the students played Twister, and the others tried their hand at scooping up balls using a wobbly spoon!

The students then each received a goody bag of stationery items that could help them in their journey of learning English. The gifts were full of the well-wishes of volunteers and sponsors who wanted to encourage the students to continue on this journey of learning English. Who can say no to such a thoughtful gift?

The students then had a good time of eating the refreshments! They also had cold beverages to drink!

Thank you teachers and volunteers for making such a memorable day! Hope to see you all soon during the next trip!

Published on: June 17, 2015

June 2015 Updates - Overseas Volunteer Trip to Hope School - Day 3

The volunteers and students came together for the final day of lessons! Even though it was a short 3 days of teaching, the volunteers and students have bonded and had many memories together. At the end of each lesson, the volunteers and students took class photos!

In the afternoon, the high school students had a treat - the volunteers prepared a Cultural Exchange event to share with them more about Singapore and to let their curiosity guide them to ask questions in English! The students loved it!

One of the volunteer was helping to boil the eggs meant for the next day's Anniversary Celebration refreshment. She looked like she was having a lot of fun!

So the third day of teaching and Cultural Exchange ended with excitement in the air. Everyone could not wait for the Anniversary Celebration that was taking place the next day!

Published on: June 16, 2015

June 2015 Updates - Overseas Volunteer Trip to Hope School - Day 2

The volunteers and students came back for a second day of lesson! In the morning, the volunteers received a pleasant surprise from the girls! The young girls strung flowers together to make a necklace and bracelet! They also gave the volunteers small bouquet of flowers that they have made!

They also taught Sofia how to make one! She gladly participated and tried!

The lessons continued and the volunteers continued to teach the students through games!

The students learnt the actions to the song 'I've got peace like a river'. As the song got faster, they became more and more excited until they forgot the steps completely!

They were slowly learning the action steps and getting familiar to the song.

They started to sing the song with much gusto! And after learning it, it was now the time for testing!

This was the normal round of doing it in a circle.

And finally, it was the fast round! Everyone enjoyed it greatly!

After a short break, the volunteers geared up for night classes. The older students came and were able to enjoy the lessons. Charlyn and Sofia gave their students a chance to debate in English through a difficult question. Sofia also taught the students how to do mindmap, a concept which was not familiar to them. The class thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the new organization method.