HOME

ABOUT US

PROJECTS

NEWSLETTERS

CONTACT US

MAKE A DONATION

VOLUNTEERS

SPONSORSHIP

VOLUNTEERING WITH SINGING KITES

Volunteers are a very important part of our team. The importance of having volunteers at the Tanop Community Education Centre cannot be overstated.

We are a small organization, and are unable to give monetary remuneration for any tasks undertaken by our volunteers.

THE MAIN TASK OF VOLUNTEERS

To teach English classes in partnership with our Cambodian teachers.

To assist our teachers and students in conversing more easily in English, and therefore also to assist in improving English conversation, speaking and listening skills.

The objective is to accustom our teachers and students to hearing native English speaking accents.

Helping our teachers to improve their teaching skills is also encouraged. This should be done in a sensitive way.

OUR POLICY IS:

• Give a hand up, not a hand out
• To build community ownership, community pride and self worth
• Encourage sustainability with less reliance on external support
• Give people more control over their lives so that they feel empowered

The villages have many "people" resources, but just don't have the financial resources to undertake them. Our role is to help here.

The Tanop Community Education Centre was built entirely by a local construction company, and they can take great pride in the fact they were entirely responsible for the building and supervising of it. In doing this it has become the villager’s project, encouraging a greater sense of pride in accomplishment and a greater degree of self worth.

Building community pride ensures better upkeep of the project by the community once it has been completed.

It is important that the villagers feel pride in ownership, and not feel they are the recipients of hand outs. We must always think of them, and treat them as our equal.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT VOLUNTEERING WITH US

Work in with the Director of the Centre.

Please respect his opinions.

TRANSPORT must be arranged privately between yourself and the Director. It is a journey of 48 klms, and takes about an hour by car, and a little longer by tuk-tuk.

The current cost is as follows.

1. By car
   A return trip from Phnom Penh to Tanop is $25.
2. Tuk-tuk
   A return journey from Phnom Penh to Tanop will cost $15.

The road is generally quite good, and the last 5 klms of rough road is in the process of being sealed.

EXPENSES

Volunteers are expected to cover their own expenses including transport to and from the village, accommodation and meals.

ACCOMODATION

If requiring accommodation in Phnom Penh, we can suggest a number of options with ranges in price. Contact Lyn at lairh@bigpond.com or phone her on 07 46308381 / 0417731797 for details and suggestions.

At the moment volunteer accommodation is not available in Tanop. We intend working on this project in the near future. For the time being volunteers will need to commute between the village and Phnom Penh.

INFORMATION

Liability.
Singing Kites will not be liable if you get injured. You will be asked to sign a disclaimer on applying to volunteer.

Medical Information.
It is also strongly advisable to have items for small medical emergencies as it will be impossible to procure these medications in the village. These medications can be arranged through your GP. It is also vital to make sure that your inoculations are up to date.

Dengue fever is a problem throughout Cambodia, and there is no preventative medication for it. Please make sure you are covered with repellent even during the daylight hours, as this is when the mosquito carrying Dengue fever is active. Repellant such as "Bushman" is the best as it contains the highest percentage of DEET (80%).

Handouts.When at the school or in the village, please do not hand out money, gifts, clothing or sweets, as this encourages begging. We do not have a begging problem in the village, and don’t want it occurring because of our actions.

CULTURAL RESPECT

Please respect the villager's privacy and private space.

Please dress respectfully.

Men should wear t-shirts that have sleeves, ¾ cargo pants or full length trousers. Women should wear long slacks, ¾ cargo pants or a skirt and tops that have sleeves. Shorts and sleeveless tops are not appropriate especially for work wear. When visiting temples it is important to dress conservatively i.e. long pants or skirts, long sleeves and no hats.

When taking photos take photos relevant to the Centre's projects. We are always very happy to receive copies of any photos you might take, to add to the photo albums at the Centre. These cause MUCH interest!

In line with our Child Protection Policy, volunteers must be accompanied by a TCEC staff member when at the Centre.

REQUIREMENTS FOR VOLUNTEERING WITH SINGING KITES

Before you are accepted to volunteer at TCEC, you will be required to have a Blue Card (Australian Volunteers).

TCEC volunteers must hold a current passport, which must be sighted by our Director before your volunteering time begins.

It is necessary to have your own travel insurance, and details of your travel insurance must be given to us before you begin your period of volunteering.

OUR THANKS

We thank you so much for your interest in volunteering at the Tanop Community Education Centre.

If you are keen to volunteer with us, please apply for a volunteer’s agreement and manual by emailing Lyn Hotchin. Contact details below.

These will be emailed or posted to you.

We conclude by saying that we greatly appreciate your interest in our work, and if you decide to come and do some volunteering, we hope that you will be rewarded with a memorable time spent in Tanop village. Your time with us will be greatly appreciated by the staff and children at TCEC.

CONTACT DETAILS

Australia

Lyn Hotchin

Founder
Singing Kites
Email: lairh@bigpond.com
Phone: 07 46308381
Mobile: 0417731797

Cambodia

Mr Tith Tek

Cambodian Director
Singing Kites
Email: tethsokao@gmail.com
Mobile: 855 1240 4012

With your support, we can make a difference!