Before volunteering with JWOC the majority of my experiences
working with children had been either informal ones with my younger brother, or
in a formal structured environment: Religious Education lessons for four and
five year olds in Surrey had been timetabled by some higher
authority, and there the messiest activity was colouring-in. Consequently, JWOC was a
breath of fresh air. We were given the responsibility and flexibility to create
our own activities and schedule rather than being given a set structure. Nearly
all decisions were made by us: including whether to have arts and crafts or
games, which volunteer would lead which activity, and at what time. Scary?
Absolutely terrifying; but at the same time wonderfully rewarding. 
Once we got
to grips with the organization and children, not to mention the climate, it ran
like a well-oiled machine (or at least a well-watered one; it was the rainy
season, after all). It produced some fantastic results, ranging from animal
masks and a giant toilet-roll snake to homemade globes. Given the length of the
summer holidays it felt fantastic to provide an opportunity for Khmer children
to fill their time with both fun and educational activities, sometimes without
even knowing it: country bingo and animal Pictionary both went down
tremendously. In fact, the whole summer school was a two-way process. We learnt
valuable skills about organization, got to spend time with some extraordinary
children, and, more importantly, felt that we were able to provide a service
for the community.
These activities wouldn’t have functioned without our Khmer interns. Each of us had one intern to work with, and these working
relationships proved invaluable to communicating with the children. The ability
to translate within milliseconds was a much-lauded skill. I was paired with
Chheng Oun, a twenty year old student at Hun Sen High School in Siem Reap. Chheng Oun was exceptional in rallying the children
during activities, as well as being a pretty good footballer. Oun lives in a
temple in Siem Reap with monks, while his family of five (three brothers and
two sisters – a shock for someone with only one brother!) live in a village
outside of town. He wants to become an English teacher or a politician when he
is older, and in his free time enjoys visiting Angkor Wat. Perhaps one of the
most surprising facts about the Khmer interns, though in hindsight the most understandable
given the Khmer education system, was how much they loved high school lessons
and learning English. Oun’s favourite book is the English dictionary! Given
some of the negative attitudes toward education in England, this was very
refreshing.
Chheng Oun also accompanied me to a rural village to observe
the Clean Water Project run by JWOC. This project involves building wells,
teaching about hygiene, and provides water filters for families. One morning we
travelled with three scholarship students around different households in order
to interview residents on hygiene practice. While the questions were hard to
follow given the language barrier, the village itself was an eye-opening
experience: witnessing Khmer lifestyle focused upon agriculture was a
significant contrast to what we had observed in the cities. The positive impact
a well could make was made manifest, and the enthusiasm with which the
scholarship students worked was wonderful.
Overall, JWOC has provided me with some unforgettable
experiences and skills. Having just finished university, I am extremely grateful
and hope to take them with me outside of the education system. What have I
learnt over the past month? That you need a lot of games to fill one
hour (though you can never have too many rounds of ‘Splat’ or ‘Duck Duck Goose’);
if you try face-painting expect to it to turn into body-painting; and that
being able to think on your feet is essential for arts and crafts, games,
lessons, and, it seems, life.
With that in mind, my top tips for anyone volunteering next
year with JWOC to help with the summer activities would be:
1. Always keep a smile on your face.
2. PLAN!
3. …Be prepared to change that plan.
