We have now lived here in Cambodia for 10 months and have learnt much about the country. We have adjusted to a reality very different from the one that we are used to back in Sweden. This country is in great need of help and we want to do what we can. The one thing that we know will help the country most in the long run, as well as make the largest difference for the people here, is to provide education to the children. The Khmer Rouge destroyed 98% of all school buildings in the seventies and killed pretty much all of the teachers. This is why we, together with our friends and the friends of our friends, want to build a rural school in Cambodia. These schools can accommodate approximately 300 children and changes the future drastically for both the children and the community where it is placed.

The cost of building this school is in total 27800USD. If we can raise 15800USD together, these funds will be matched by a World Bank credit through the Social Fund of Cambodia which manages the construction of the school. An amount is also set aside to pay the rural teachers a supplementary fee of $30 a month to motivate them to move and teach in the villages. Approximately 300 schools have been built in this way during the last 7 years which is good, but nowhere near the needed number.

The more people we can get involved, the smaller the individual donations need to be to change the lives of hundreds of Cambodian children in the future. A simple feasibility calculation gives us that if 100 people donate 158USD, we will be successful. Take a moment to think about what education has given you! We are not talking about university level studies here, simply learning to read and write, the possibility of getting a better job and the tools to be able to possibly get a higher education. We often take our literacy for granted. In Cambodia the literacy rate is currently at 67.3 %. Most of the illiterates are in the rural areas. Increased literacy leads to reduced trafficking and child labor, better health and a longer life expectancy.

It is of course up to each of you to donate as much or as little (or not at all!) to this project. We do not attach any prestige to the individual amounts donated, only to completing the project itself. With this mail we want to say that we believe firmly in this project and we have the means to make sure that the funds are used correctly by being on location for the coming years.

NOT ONE PENNY of this money will go to administration. All funds will go directly towards the building costs of the school building, initial teacher salaries and a computer with solar panels. We guarantee you continuous updates on the progress and, for those that wish, email contact with the schoolchildren. We will be putting up a plaque with all the donors in the school and you will be able to visit the school if you come to Cambodia. We will also provide you with a complete, anonymous, list of all donated funds to all donors to ensure transparency.

Please think about how you can help us with this project. Involve your friends, families, colleagues or anyone else you think might be willing to help. When you have decided how you wish to help, please contact us for how to transfer your donation to the project.

Our plan is to raise the funds by the end of February 2006 to be able to build the school in the dry season here.

If we do not raise enough funds, we can finance a part of a school and if we get more we can finance more schools!

Phnom Penh, December 2005.

Daniel & Kerstin Karlström