Signs of hope: Choum’s mission of education in Cambodia

‘We work very hard but I feel very happy, because I know that I can find myself in the children.’

Choum is a dedicated teacher at a Catholic kindergarten connected to Sacred Heart parish in Cambodia. Despite difficult conditions in the country, her mission of compassionate education for all children is a shining beacon of hope which is transforming her community.

Meeting community needs

‘I get up early, around 5am and I go to buy food for the children’s lunch. Then around 6:30 I start to welcome the children because some of the parents need to go to the factory early.’

Many parents in Choum’s community work in factories. But many families have limited options or money for daycare, so children often stay home by themselves. Choum goes the extra mile to see that the children in her community have a safe place to learn and grow, opening the kindergarten doors at 6:30am to accommodate working parents’ schedules.

‘I needed to decide to welcome the children early in the morning as who else would be able to bring them? The grandparents are too old.’

Dignity through inclusive education

At Sacred Heart kindergarten, every child is welcomed with love and respect. Among the 40 pupils are children with Down syndrome and severe autism, who are fully included and accepted into classroom activities. The kindergarten staff, including Choum and an older Catholic parishioner named Sokha, provide caring, patient attention to ensure all children feel valued and included.

Choum makes sure the school nurtures the whole child. She does this by making sure that alongside their academic studies, the children also receive cultural education, physical activity and even brief meditation sessions.

It isn’t always easy, since in poor communities many families have not been able to prioritise education.

‘Some children don’t know how to hold a pencil. We have to hold their hands and help them. Khmer letters are very difficult. I needed to buy some easy [alphabet] books for the children.’

Under Choum’s careful guidance, children learn numeracy, the complex Khmer alphabet, traditional dance and important social skills.

A calling built on personal experience

Choum’s dedication stems from her own difficult upbringing. Growing up in a family with eight siblings, she knows first-hand the challenges of poverty. Often, they went hungry and sometimes her parents didn’t eat at all. But the local priest helped the family by bringing them food when he could, and later, the Church supported Choum’s education.

In 2005, the Church helped Choum attend World Youth Day in Cologne. During that pilgrimage, she stayed with a German family who asked how they could support a project in Cambodia.  The priest who accompanied Choum’s pilgrimage group presented them with different options, including supporting a kindergarten. The family chose to support a new kindergarten near where Choum lived.

As it turned out, that meeting with the German family was a pivotal experience for her. Choum had started out working in the garment factories as a seamstress, which actually pays more money than teaching. But despite the low salary received by teachers in Cambodia, Choum’s vocation for teaching was growing.

‘I thought, oh! Nobody wants to become a teacher because it doesn’t have a good salary. The salary is very low. But I ask myself : if I don’t go, who is going to go?’

Choum didn’t forget the German family’s choice to support kindergarten education and told the Priest: ‘“Father, if that family loved this [kindergarten] programme, then I will go to study education.” So I went to study education!’

She studied for three years, relying on prayer when she felt inexperienced:

‘It was very difficult. I didn’t have experience. So I just prayed. God, please help me.’

Transforming community attitudes

Choum’s kindergarten opened five years ago with just ten students. It now serves 40 children from four surrounding villages. More importantly, Choum has witnessed a fundamental change in her community’s attitudes toward education:

‘Now here the parents want their children to go to primary school. In the villages, they didn’t care if their children go to school. But now it’s changed. Since I started to work in the kindergarten, I have seen the people change a lot. From that day until now, we see the higher numbers of children going to the high school and they get very good results.’

Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler,the Bishop of Phnom Penh, has personally acknowledged the crucial role kindergarten teachers, like Choum, play in creating better futures for Cambodian children. This recognition brings Choum joy and renewed determination:

‘The Bishop explained to the teachers the big difference their efforts make, and the number of young people who are achieving academically as a result of their efforts, including those going to university. I was very happy when the Bishop talked to us… He thanked all the teachers who were working in the kindergarten… It made me very happy and proud.’

The dignity of love

For Choum, teaching is more than a job—it’s a mission, where she finds fulfilment and purpose. Despite the long hours and modest pay, she has discovered her vocation in nurturing children:

‘With the children in the kindergarten I find my happiness. So it’s okay even if I’m tired, for myself it’s not a problem.’

Her approach to education is rooted in a simple but crucial philosophy:

‘I tell them, “I love you children. I love you all. Not just only one of you. I love you together”.’

Thank you

In mission dioceses, the Church is often the main or sole provider of education and safe places where children can learn and grow. With your support, Missio can help dedicated teachers like Choum continue their vital work of providing quality, inclusive education that transforms lives and communities – in Cambodia and around the world.

Thank you for being a sign of hope to communities in need.

Tags: Cambodia · education · Jubilee