Ten minutes away from PSE Central by foot, you will find OBK: a little oasis full of “minions” -as the volunteers like to call them- in the middle of the hussle. It is a Community Service Center (CSC) used as a school for children aged 3 to 6 throughout the year. During the holidays, these kids stay for the School Continuity Programme and some of their older siblings join as well.
First thing in the morning, these little kids are half asleep. Therefore, for the first minutes of the day, it is music, dancing and workouts that get them active. “For now it is calm, but in one hour it will be crazy”, jokes Hélène, a European instructor, at the beginning of the day. Around 190 kids arrive per day to this oasis where four European and twelve Khmer instructors, plus their respective coordinators, await them.
For the flag ceremony, each day a different kid sings the anthem, and the rest follows. “These children love singing and have passion for a stage”, adds Bea, a European volunteer. When breakfast is served, the kids take their dishes in an orderly manner to the classrooms and sit in rows one in front of the other. After the batteries have been charged, activities start. Divided by seven kroms -Khmer term for “team”-, the children participate in different activities and games during the morning and afternoon. In this School Continuity Programme it is the instructors that rotate around the different classrooms, in order not to distract the kids between one activity to the other.
Given the little age of these children, the activities are not as strictly planned as in other Projects. This is because, as Rocío, a European volunteer, explained, “these kids lose interest very fast so it is necessary to always have a Plan B”. Regular activities last around 25 minutes, but sometimes less. This is when the creative and versatile side of the instructors blossoms.
“Sometimes, the more simple, the better”
justine
Some examples of the activities that the instructors plan for the kids are: musical chairs, musical statues, handcrafts, drawing, sport games, making bubbles, making bracelets, water games, etc. The list of ideas that they keep in their head is very long in case their first activity does not interest the children. “It is difficult to anticipate if the kids will have a day where their attention is not great and they just want to play a simple game, or if they are stimulated and want to learn new things”, clarifies Antonia, the European coordinator. For this reason, activities need to be creative, yet simple, in order for the children to understand. “Sometimes, the more simple, the better”, adds Justine.
Before lunch, the kids sit in chuas -Khmer term for “rows”- and cool down with a five-minute meditation. It is amazing how quiet and still they get when this time comes. It gets them ready for a chill lunch and a good two-hour nap afterwards. During these five minutes, some volunteers serve dishes for lunch and leave them in the rooms in order to save time, as all the processes for these little ones take longer. Before breakfast, snack time and lunch, children line up to wash their hands. Being reinforced by the Medical Team through workshops. After taking a nap, it is shower time, they also brush their teeth and, as Bea points out, “they love doing it and will ask for toothpaste up to four times in a row”.
Like in every Project, nothing will be possible without the back office. There is a Service Team that rotates every day or every two days. These people are in charge of preparing the breakfast, snacks and lunch and of the cleaning of the CSC and the krama -Khmer term for scarf- used for the showers. They also prepare the classrooms for nap time and will help the rest of the volunteers in their activities when their job is done. Besides the Service Team, there are also Team leaders and Activity leaders. These roles will also rotate. In the first case, the instructors are in charge of taking care of a group of children and making sure they are taken care of. In the second, they are responsible for an activity and everything that comes with it: planning, getting the material and ensuring the space for the set-up.
On special days, children will take up on big games and activities that do not require them to be separated into groups. This benefits the well functioning of the School Continuity Programme, as it encourages the kids to get to know each other. Gymkhanas, Ferias, Olympics, Talent Shows and Water Parties are examples of these special events. The last one is always memorable for these “little monkeys”, seeing as they appear to love any activity related to water.
“Energetic, loving and eager to learn”
rocío
OBK kids seem to be very special to all the volunteers. They are described as “energetic, loving and eager to learn” by Rocío. Khmer coordinator Maratong adds they are “easygoing” and explains that they have been responding perfectly since day two of the Programme. “The children are getting healthier and are learning about hygiene by taking showers every day and washing their hands before their meals”, remarks Anong, a Khmer instructor. They enjoy playing, listening, and participating in all the activities. At such a young age, they eat and do chores by themselves, an aspect that amazes the volunteers.
“OBK kids are prompt to give you back all the love that you give them”
antonia
Following the afternoon activities, the kids receive a snack just before leaving. It usually consists of a piece of fruit or a sandwich. OBK children get picked up everyday by a family member, and all the volunteers stay in the CSC until the last kid has left. They say goodbye to all the “teachers” with the typical Khmer reverence used for salutation. Even though they are very little, and sometimes a bit wild, Antonia concludes saying that “OBK kids are prompt to give you back all the love that you give them”.
