In front of Central, PSE´s littlest kids attend the School Continuity Programme from monday to friday. This project started in 2015 as a solution to the PSE staff´s unfeasibility to take care of their kids during working hours. Aged 0 to 3, these kmeng kmeng -little kids- are seen as the cutest by the volunteers.
The kids that integrate this Project are either children of PSE staff or they come from families supported by the NGO. There are four European volunteers and 17 Khmer volunteers, plus the respective coordinators. Therefore, each volunteer that is not in the Service Team -in charge of cleaning and preparing meals- that day, will have two or three kids that they need to look after. This means that they will have to make sure that those two or three kids take all their meals and at least one shower. “Besides that, all the kids reach out to all the volunteers and we all take care of our babies”, adds Maud, a European volunteer.
“The biggest challenge in this Project is to always keep your eyes open”
marion
The children begin the day by having breakfast, usually rice porridge with fish. Unlike in other Projects, the children here need to be fed, as they are too little to eat on their own. Kindergarten volunteers need to always keep an eye on these kids. “The biggest challenge in this Project is to always keep your eyes open”, points out Marion, a European instructor. The little ones like to move around and sometimes cannot manage to stay still, as some of them do not understand orders yet.
The activities in this Project are adapted to the needs of the children. There is a fixed schedule, but it is almost never followed. This is because, while a three-year-old can play for two hours straight, a six month-old might take a nap in between. For the showers, for example, each kid has his own time. When a child needs his diaper changed, an instructor takes him to the shower and changes it. All in all, each kmeng will be showered at least once a day. For some it will be two or even three times, but it is before leaving home in the afternoon that the volunteers will shower all of them. This way, all the children will arrive at their homes fresh and with clean spare clothes that the parents bring along with their kids every morning.
“One of the objectives of this Project is to cooperate in the education of the children”
viviane
Playdough, dancing, drawing and playing with toys are some of the activities deployed indoors. As best practice, the volunteers try to include sensory stimulation into the games. They also promote the personal and social development of these little ones. “One of the objectives of this Project is to cooperate in the education of the children”, points out Viviane, a European volunteer. Noémie, the European coordinator emphasizes on the fact these children are easily entertained, the simplest activities are the ones that function better.
Kindergarteners are good listeners, and all volunteers agree on this. However, Elodie, a European instructor noticed that, at the beginning, “the kids did not want to go with the
Europeans, as they did not understand them and seemed a bit surprised”. This is all over now as they have gotten to know each other. Now, all the children feel attached to the volunteers in an equal manner. Due to the age of these kids to pay attention, the activities need to be kept simple. “It is not easy to plan and explain the activities and we cannot prepare big games for them”, remarks Sopanda, the Khmer coordinator.
Kindergarten kids love playing outdoors: in the playground, with the sand and on the grass that belongs to the football field. Instructors alternate between indoor and outdoor activities, depending on the weather. But they try to do a little bit of both every day in order for the kids to get some fresh air. On Tuesdays and Thursdays an inflatable pool is filled up and the kmeng kmeng enjoy a fun water party. On Fridays, a big box is decorated as a piñata and the kids receive small gifts to take home.
Lunch time in this Programme is at an early hour, as the kids are constantly hungry. The volunteers feed the children and afterwards help them take a nap. Some of the little ones lay on the designated mats and, hugging a teddy, fall asleep. Others need the arms of the volunteers to sleep. This is the most heartwarming moment of this School Continuity Programme.
Kindergarten children are likely to melt the hearts of those around them
In conclusion, Kindergarten children are likely to melt the hearts of those around them. There is a very warm and loving atmosphere and the volunteers are in good harmony with the kids. Each child has been raised with a different background but the Programme flows without complications. The kids receive a whole lot of love from the volunteers that take care of them and vice versa.
Added content: Noémie -the European coordinator- reveals her thoughts on the Project
Noémie was an instructor in the Teenagers Project in the past, but had never worked with babies before.
“Being named Kindergarten coordinator has been a challenge for me from the beginning. I had never worked with babies before, so I was afraid of not doing it right. However, I knew from before that all the Khmer instructors had been in contact with babies at one time or another, whether it was a nephew, a sibling or a cousin. That reassured me because I knew I would count on their help. However, I have found that, to my surprise, working with babies is very intuitive.
A baby, even if he doesn’t speak, knows how to communicate. In fact, I find it easier to communicate with a baby who does not speak than with a Khmer kid who does. The baby makes gestures, points to things, and makes you understand in a universal language. If he cries, it is because he needs something basic or because he has hurt himself. Taking care of them has turned out to be much easier than I thought it would be. Also, Khmer children are very independent and from a very early age they learn to do many things by themselves. Despite my fears at the beginning, I am enjoying myself a lot and my children are the cutest!”
