Hello everyone! I’m Paulo student at the International School of Toulouse graduating in 2017, and over the summer, I will experience a fabulous adventure in the heart of Cambodia, by applying as an instructor in a summer camp specially organised for the less fortunate children of the country.
The summer camp is organised by an NGO named PSE. They since 1995, the organisation provides nutrition, education and affection to children below 16 years old, that haven’t had the chance to have what we would call a ‘normal childhood’. These children have been mistreated, sent to work, or even abandoned by their parents and relatives. Such phenomenon can be understood by looking at the country’s hard and painful history. That is why during the year, PSE takes care of these children given them what they think is the most important gift; ‘education’. In the developed world, education is not only free, but often mandatory. But in some other global areas, education is a luxury that only the wealthy can afford.
PSE’s summer camp allows those children to gain back the childhood they have lost. It helps them to spend the summer enjoying themselves and being children, rather than being sent to work again by their parents, or spending their days on dumpsites looking for food. I’ve dreamed of participating in this summer camp since I was 14 years old, when I first found out about the organisation. Back then, I got particularly touched by the work the organisation was carrying in the country, and I decided that I wanted to be a part of that too.
I have had the privilege of living within a stable country, surrounded by a fortunate society. Where I live, even the less fortunate lives a dream life compared to what other people have to endure every day in areas like Cambodia. I want to help this world to improve, and the only way for me to that is to physically volunteer for an association like PSE. Children are our future after all, and their education and blooming are essential for the country’s prosperity.
The CAS program of the IB enabled me to do some charitable work that could help this world, but I always felt that my actions had to direct impact. This summer camp will give me the opportunity to face the people I will be helping, and to feel what it feels like to make a difference.
My journey will start on July 22th in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where I will follow a week of training (additionally to the two training days previously carried in Toulouse and Paris) and will end on August 27th after 4 weeks of hard work with the children during the week, and exiting explorations during the week-end.
This trip and my dream are only possible thanks to the support of the Rao family, and the everlasting vision and legacy of James Rao, a man who lived his dream. I am very grateful to the Rao foundation for giving me a chance to experience a new life, and help make a difference.
The summer camp is organised by an NGO named PSE. They since 1995, the organisation provides nutrition, education and affection to children below 16 years old, that haven’t had the chance to have what we would call a ‘normal childhood’. These children have been mistreated, sent to work, or even abandoned by their parents and relatives. Such phenomenon can be understood by looking at the country’s hard and painful history. That is why during the year, PSE takes care of these children given them what they think is the most important gift; ‘education’. In the developed world, education is not only free, but often mandatory. But in some other global areas, education is a luxury that only the wealthy can afford.
PSE’s summer camp allows those children to gain back the childhood they have lost. It helps them to spend the summer enjoying themselves and being children, rather than being sent to work again by their parents, or spending their days on dumpsites looking for food. I’ve dreamed of participating in this summer camp since I was 14 years old, when I first found out about the organisation. Back then, I got particularly touched by the work the organisation was carrying in the country, and I decided that I wanted to be a part of that too.
I have had the privilege of living within a stable country, surrounded by a fortunate society. Where I live, even the less fortunate lives a dream life compared to what other people have to endure every day in areas like Cambodia. I want to help this world to improve, and the only way for me to that is to physically volunteer for an association like PSE. Children are our future after all, and their education and blooming are essential for the country’s prosperity.
The CAS program of the IB enabled me to do some charitable work that could help this world, but I always felt that my actions had to direct impact. This summer camp will give me the opportunity to face the people I will be helping, and to feel what it feels like to make a difference.
My journey will start on July 22th in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where I will follow a week of training (additionally to the two training days previously carried in Toulouse and Paris) and will end on August 27th after 4 weeks of hard work with the children during the week, and exiting explorations during the week-end.
This trip and my dream are only possible thanks to the support of the Rao family, and the everlasting vision and legacy of James Rao, a man who lived his dream. I am very grateful to the Rao foundation for giving me a chance to experience a new life, and help make a difference.