Maryknoll in Cambodia

Deaf Work in Banteay Meanchey

Classes held in the town of Sisophon

There are no schools for deaf people outside of the cities of Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Siam Reap, so each month the Cambodian Disabled People's Organization (the CDPO) sends teams of two or three people to five different provinces to hold literacy classes. It's better than nothing but it's not a lot more than nothing:

people who have never been to school in their lives are now going one day a month
classes involve a lot of repetition because the students forget most of what they have learned since last month
children as young as six are in the same class as adults in their 50s
the only teaching aids are a whiteboard and individual slates for copying what the teacher writes
the teaching matter is limited each month to maybe ten letters of the Khmer alphabet, three or four phrases of common language, and ten numbers

Signing the Cambodia national anthem Classes are held from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, beginning with the signing of the national anthem.

Classes get underway Classes are held on the floor of the CDPO office.

Helping an older student get the fingers just right The students are actually learning the signs for the first time, and sometimes it's hard to get it just right.

Holding up their slates with correct answers At the end of the day, each student got a photocopied page with the signs they had learned that day but their slates were used throughout the day for practice.

A class photo This group, even with its diversity of ages, gets along well and is certainly enthusiastic about learning.

The youngest student and her mother This girl is the youngest student in the group, five years old. It is wonderful that her mother could come to learn how to teach her at home.

The oldest student of the class The oldest student in the class, a ready learner.

Enjoying a break from classes Watermelon in the morning and bananas in the afternoon were a welcome snack.

The CDPO office in Sisophon This is one of the five regional offices of CDPO. They use the left side of this building.

	Classes are held from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, beginning with the signing of the national anthem.
	Classes are held on the floor of the CDPO office.
	The students are actually learning the signs for the first time, and sometimes it's hard to get it just right.
	At the end of the day, each student got a photocopied page with the signs they had learned that day but their slates were used throughout the day for practice.
	This group, even with its diversity of ages, gets along well and is certainly enthusiastic about learning.
	This girl is the youngest student in the group, five years old. It is wonderful that her mother could come to learn how to teach her at home.
	The oldest student in the class, a ready learner.
	Watermelon in the morning and bananas in the afternoon were a welcome snack.
	This is one of the five regional offices of CDPO. They use the left side of this building.