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Current Status - January 2006
Koh Sla area, Kampot Province, April 2004 – December 2005
The local bureau of UNESCO in Phnom Penh decided to
integrate the Living Values Education Program (LVEP) in their education program
for the Koh Sla region, the former Khmer Rouge area which was the last one to
surrender after the genocide. After more than 25 years of isolation, the area
has become one of the poorest in the country. The level of illiteracy had
reached an extreme. For example, in a village of 650 people, only one person can
read. The deep desire of the people is to move forward as quickly as possible
far from all the memories and fears connected with their involvement in the war
and to live a peaceful life. But this is made difficult by the fact that the
victims of the genocide often have to live in the same village as their
perpetrators. Anger, fear and violence are deeply rooted as most people never
really expressed their grief in a reconciliation process. The family structure
has been deeply damaged and parents cannot convey a proper set of values to
their children. The education system is slowly being rebuilt, yet many children
still have to work as most parents don’t realize the importance of education.
Participants during a LVE Workshop in
the Kol Sla area.
Former Khmer Rouge mind map.
The Organisation for Peace and
Development of Cambodia (OPDC), a local partner of UNESCO, started to facilitate
trainings on education for a Culture of Peace. LVEP was first introduced to more
than 80 members of the local Authorities, village chiefs, commune chiefs,
village supervisors, all the commune council members, local police and soldiers.
The positive response from the authorities opened the doors to series of
trainings conducted for 23 non-formal education teachers, literacy teachers,
ECCE teachers, about 100 youth from two communes, and the monks from two
pagodas.
Participants share their reflections on values.
Each target group received a training in accordance with
their respective role in the community. The monitoring of the trainings for
teachers was very useful to assess their level of understanding of the concepts
and their practical application, especially in this area without any facilities.
During one year, the facilitators went to different classes and also visited
people in villages, trying to understand their difficulties. It brought a warm
and an encouraging feeling in villagers as they felt “people from the outside
now come to help us.” Apparently this was a hopeful sign to them that they were
coming out of their isolation.
Banteay Meanchey Province
Banteay Meanchey is a very poor area. It is a target area
for child trafficking and drugs and there is a high incidence of HIV/AIDS. In
2005, two LVEP Educator Trainings were conducted in Banteay Meanchey at the Thai
boarder. The program was launched by the Co-Governor of the Province, the
Ministry of Education and the national commission of UNESCO. More than 60
teachers attended both trainings. The Living Values Team is planning to monitor
a number of classes during this year, 2006, in order to encourage the teachers
to integrate Living Values Activities in their regular schedule.
Teachers during an LVEP Training in Beantey Meanchey.
Phnom Penh
In April 2005, 15 teachers from two main High schools in
Phnom Penh and Takmao received LVEP Educator Training. The first people who took
benefit from the training were the families of the participants. When the
facilitators met the trainees after one month of implementing LVEP at school,
many of them acknowledged that this training changed their personal life. They
are applying the tools of LVEP at home as well as at school.
Number of Sites Using Living Values Education
Total number of sites
Six
Impact
Comments from participants in LVE
Workshops and Trainings:
ECCE Teacher: “I feel I have changed. I never imagined I could become a good
teacher like this.”
NFE teacher: “Before I used to get angry easily, but now I am much more patient
and I try to understand what the student wants. I am more tolerant.”
Several teachers commented about anger, saying that they don't get as angry as
they used to before the LVEP Educator Training. Living Values taught them
tolerance in a practical way.
From a mother in the literacy class: “Tolerance is very important in the family.
Once, my son lost the money I gave him to buy fish. I felt I didn't need to beat
him. My son knew his fault and this is what I wanted. We ate rice with salt on
that day and it was fine.”
One day during a follow-up visit, the monitoring team assisted one teacher in
solving a conflict between two boys who were fighting over a stolen piece of
chalk. The children were very happy that the teacher did not beat the one who
stole the chalk. They learned about respect and love instead.
Some of the commune chiefs have shared their observation that since the LVE
workshops gambling and domestic violence have reduced in their communes.
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