In 1981, the Khmer Rouge had been officially disbanded for 2 years, but in the small village of Slarkram in the Battambang Province, political unrest and violence continued. Small pockets of the disbanded Khmer Rouge crept around, continuing oppression that had supposedly ended. Narath was 6 months old when the members of the Khmer Rouge shot his father twice- once in the head, once in the shoulder, and his mother in her spine. 6 months old protected by his father’s body, their family targeted for his education and profession as teacher.
The insurgents left the scene thinking that they had finished off the family, from who they had also taken both maternal and paternal grandfathers. In what Narath calls a miraculous moment of God’s mercy, both of his parents survived the attack. In 1984 Narath’s family went to live with a pastor while their family was waitlisted for a plane that would take them to the United States to seek refuge. The same year they were one of the first families to be turned away from seeking asylum in the US, as the “Khmer Rouge Crisis” was said to be over.
For 7 years, until 1991, they instead continued to staywith the pastor from the UN who taught Narath english, despite a climate in which education was no longer prioritized. 1991, the same year that the bullet came out of his father’s head- on its own. In 2004 Narath, grateful for the education he received from someone who cared to provide it, and full of gratitude that his parents were spared from the brutal war, he started a completely free English school.
After facing violent persecution in his family and community for having had an education, Narath began to provide it.
Primary public school in the village is free, but requires uniforms and books, things that in families of 8-9 kids can be unattainable. There are no such restrictions for Slarkram English school. Kids come as they are, some from around the village or neighboring ones, some directly from the public school that Slarkram rents a space from. Over the past 15 years of running the English program, Narath has on average had about 10 to 15 volunteers a year come to assist with English classes that start at alphabet, followed by beginner, intermediate and advanced grammar and work with his nonprofit in fundraising.
The past week I had the distinct pleasure of getting to be one of those volunteers.
A couple of months ago, walking along Street 1 in our little city of Battambang, Narath pulled his Moto onto the sidewalk to strike up a conversation with Lexi, Melissa and Ella and myself. He gave us a piece of paper that had his contact information on it and we walked away excited to go to his village. The piece of paper got lost. Time got away.
About 2 months after the first time we met Narath, we bumped into him again walking home only about a 1/2 mile from where we had our first interaction. He insisted again that we come to the village. This time we made plans on the spot- and took the 30 minute tuk-tuk ride out to the village out the next evening.
We’ve spent (and treasured) the past week of getting to help teach english, at this incredible program and hanging out with the kids.
Coincidentally, the library cafe that we work at in the mornings is breathing it’s last few and on every trip back to the village we’ve gotten to take books that needed a home to the growing mobile library that needs them.
After spending classes teaching kids about the past participle that I spent 2 hours of my own afternoon studying, the kids all bow, scream, “thank you teacher” and run out in a blur of high fives and fits of laughter.
Catching him in the few minutes in the evening between the school before running home with his beautiful wife and daughter, Narath talks about his mobile library dreams, and why knowing English is important in the village. He explains that for children who have the ability to attend a private high school, knowing English is a huge advantage in their education. For the vast majority of kids who do not have the ability to attend the high school, he tells me that a familiarity with English opens doors for jobs in the tourism industry; hotels, tour guides, restaurants, office jobs.
Programs such as this one, that do not create a financial burden are important to the community as it not only creates an opportunity to learn skills that will be beneficial to find jobs later on, but also fuels the idea that people care for your education, they’re fighting for it, and they believe that you can do it.
At this time, Narath is fighting to get computers to start up a computer skills class.
He’s collecting books for the mobile library.
He’s constantly getting together pens and paper and pencils for the English school.
He’s striking up conversations with foreigners who maybe have a couple of weeks to fall in love with the kids that so badly want to learn and a story of redemption that would inspire anyone to fight for their communities.
Whether you’re headed to Cambodia and looking for a volunteering gig, have books that you need to get rid of, wanted to donate your laptop somewhere but don’t know where to, or have the financial capability to give a couple bucks towards basic classroom supples for The Slarkram English School – if you think you can help or have questions or want to know more about it, email me at [email protected] !
