Centre-Based Education

One of M’Lop Tapang’s primary goals is to reintegrate Sihanoukville’s street children into the Cambodian public school system. Being able to read and write Khmer is not only a fundamental right for Cambodian children, but also vital in terms of providing them with future job opportunities and a chance at being contributing members of society.

In reality, some children are not easily able to return to school as they are well behind their classmates having been out of school for some time. Often, a child is too old to be reintegrated into the grade level they are capable of attending. In order to address this issue, M’Lop Tapang offers a comprehensive ‘bridging’ program to help children get up to speed with their studies and start public school with confidence in their abilities.

Back To School

Many of Sihanoukville’s street children do not attend public school as they have to work to support their families. For this reason, M’Lop Tapang works in partnership with local schools and parents to reintegrate street children into the Cambodian public school system, so that they might be given a chance for a better future. M’Lop Tapang’s ‘Back to School’ program specifically targets street children in Sihanoukville who are unable to attend public school purely due to financial reasons.

The cost of sending a child to school is roughly $25 a year which includes the necessary school uniforms and learning supplies. This program gives children the opportunity to resume their education in a way that fits into the reality of their family situation.

M’Lop Tapang works very closely with the families of these children to reach realistic arrangements and to ensure full commitment from all. Each individual child’s attendance and performance is followed-up on regularly by our trained social workers.

For children who want to learn English, M’Lop Tapang facilitates a sponsorship program with longtime partner Regent School of English. As with public school, M’Lop Tapang monitors each child’s attendance and follows up on their progress.

Mobile Library & Education Outreach

Recognising the reality of the situation for most of the families we work with, we are conscious of ensuring that our activities and programs be an extension of a child’s home environment, rather than a replacement.

Night and day, M’Lop Tapang offers mobile education to children who are unable to access the main centre and public schools. Our highly visible Mobile Library, stocked with books, videos and educational games, allows us to reach over 350 children every week through informal education in areas which M’Lop Tapang does not have a physical presence but where there is a high concentration of children in need.

The Mobile library often represents the first point of contact with children, and allows us to reach those who live outside of town or who have to work during the day. It also serves as a supplement to both our outreach and medical teams by relaying up-to-date information about certain children and their families, as well as ensuring a constant presence in each of the communities in which we work.

A M’Lop Tapang social worker, teacher and one volunteer are always with the Library, and our nurse regularly accompanies the team, be it night or day. Kids are taught basic Khmer and English and given access to a range of informal educational games and activities. A small solar panel allows the Mobile Library to operate at night in areas where children tend to congregate – namely by the beach and at the port.

Special Needs

Working in slums and poor communities of Sihanoukville every day, M’Lop Tapang social workers recognised that there were a number of children with physical and developmental disabilities.

Many of these children suffer from undiagnosed learning difficulties, while others are living with neurological disorders such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy. Parents and public schools and are ill-equipped to deal with these types of development challenges, and in most cases these children are given no opportunities to learn. The class is coordinated by our Education Team and supported by our Medical Team nurses.

Children are given a chance to interact and bond with other kids through arts and crafts activities as well as dance and basic literacy. All of the children have access to bathing facilities, and our nurses assist them with basic hygiene maintenance.

Recreational Activities

All children who attend classes at M’Lop Tapang take part in recreational activities for half of the day. Students can chose between library, computer, arts and crafts, sports, theater arts and English.

Sports are a huge part of daily life at M’Lop Tapang. Students gather in the afternoons for volleyball at our Main Center or Community Shelters; staff, volunteers and students play football together in the evenings; and, children from all over the community attend multi-sport training camps and tournaments at our Main Center. We encourage sports as a way for children to learn fair play, teamwork and to help to build up their confidence and communication skills. In 2008, we opened our new football pitch. Regular tournaments are held at the field that engage youth from all over the community, whether they are supported by M’Lop Tapang or not.

M’Lop Tapang works towards raising children’s self-esteem through the use of performance and creative arts - both of which are integral components of our recreational activities at the Main Centre and in the communities where we work. M’Lop Tapang offers traditional Apsara dancing, drumming, circus, theatre, music, film-making, crafts, painting and drawing. Students showcase their talents at our street shows and parades, as well as performing regularly to their peers at M ‘Lop Tapang. MT believes that encouraging creative expression is fundamental in the healthy development of each individual child.