As part of its Global Child Support Committee initiatives, JELA is dedicated to improving children’s educational environment in Cambodia, and has been carrying out preschool construction projects (childcare facilities for preschool-aged children) since 2012. This year, construction is underway on the 16th such preschool located in Thmey Village of the Aoral District of Kampong Speu Province. This location was selected by JELA’s Cambodian partner organization, Lutheran Hope Cambodia Organization (LHCO) as one of the potential sites for such a project.
Thmey Village has a population of 982 people from 380 households. Of these people, 105 are children aged 2 to 6 who are likely to attend preschool. Thmey Village is 38 km from the nearest town, and due to poor road conditions, access to public services is difficult.
The village children currently use the village community center (which is also in need of repair) as a makeshift classroom. However, classes are sometimes interrupted by village gatherings or other events. To avoid such interruptions, classes would sometimes be held in a building/shelter with a roof but no outer walls, exposing children to the weather as well as other potential safety hazards.
Given these conditions, Thmey village was selected for the construction of a preschool along with an adjacent toilet facility. JELA has provided $8,930 to cover the construction costs of the preschool building and restrooms, marking the start of efforts to improve the educational environment in this remote rural area.
Under the guidance of LHCO, the village organized a quality control committee for the preschool construction, and site preparation and backfilling were performed with financial and labor contributions raised by the community. To date, although there have been delays due to rainfall, 65% of the building and toilet facility construction have been completed, and are scheduled to be completed by the end of September 2026. Led by the Global Child Support Committee, JELA will continue to work in collaboration with LHCO to improve the educational environment for children in Cambodia. We ask for your prayers and support for JELA’s Global Child Support initiatives.
