The situation in Lavalla Primary School in Takhmao during the emergency by COVID-19

Brother Tony Burrows reports the situation in Cambodia in that days of emergency caused by Covid-19. He speaks mainly about the Lavalla School, in Takhmao, that works with children and young people with physical disabilities.

Here in Cambodia, schools, Churches and entertainment places are still closed, but factories where people work in very crowded conditions, are still operating.

Last month the Government announced that schools would remain closed until November. I have since heard, though, that this will be reviewed in June.

While there is distance learning, and it is being hailed as a great solution for students, the fact is that over two million students have no access to this, and most are finding working this way very difficult and probably it is not doing what it’s meant to do.

Our teachers are coming to school here each day, they are in regular contact with their students. They are encouraging them to follow the lessons on TV and are sending out worksheets via various forms of social media. I’m not sure how effective this is but at least the students are doing some school work.

Last week a group of our staff visited as many of the families as they could around the Provinces.

We have brought back a small group of students to live here. Some of these are students who had major corrective surgery just before Christmas. They really need ongoing physiotherapy and medical attention which they were not able to get at home. So, all of our health staff are here each day giving these students intensive physiotherapy. We also have a few here whose family situations are such that they were not being cared for and having to fend for themselves.

During their travel, they also found some of our families who need medical assistance, so we have provided funds for them to see doctors and buy medicines.

As well we have here eight of our University students who have no access to internet at home. They are following their courses on-line.

So, we also have staff here now to care for these students when they are not in class or having therapy – cooks, carers etc. Of course, the site needs to be maintained, so maintenance and grounds staff are working. Other staff come in as required. We continue to pay staff their full salary, as they would have nothing to live on.

We are all hopeful that the students will be able to return soon. While everyone here is busy with their tasks, the place is not the same without the students.

LaValla School is the only registered primary school in Cambodia for students with a physical disability. Founded in 1998 in a small house in Phnom Penh, it moved to a city on the edge of the capital called Takhmao 16 years ago to a purpose built school.

Today the school has almost 100 students and most are residential because their families have recognized that in their rural regions their children do not have access to education. The education programme provides an accelerated curriculum of six years primary being completed in three years. Read more about it: https://www.maristcambodia.org/lavalla-school