Service-Learning in Cambodia, remotely

The virus cancelled all travelling to foreign countries for service-learning.  Even any physical contact in Hong Kong.  Our team develop STEM projects and kits for a primary school in Hong Kong, send the kits to the schools kids at home, via their school, and teach the kids at home remotely.  It works.  Some translation is needed as some of our students come from foreign countries who cannot speak Cantonese.  It turns out some can speak Mandarin, and the local kids can understand Mandarin.  

So we adapt the procedure with kids in Vietnam, Cambodia and Rwanda.  In each case we have to deal with issues of language, often relying on interpreters who are students or volunteers themselves.  On this weekend, tow teams are teaching 2 groups of kids in rural Cambodia.  Our teaching team is keeping an eye on how things are going. 

We have to tackle issues of lack of access to computers, and poor networks.  We have to learn to rely less on direct interactions, and more on videos and photos and other forms of media.  That is digital divide in real life.  

Imagine a rooster crowing suddenly when you are explaining how to assemble a car with lots of gears to powered by a rubber band.  That is part of the cultural learning that our students are experiencing.  

We are so proud of our teaching team who are pulling these off.  We are also grateful for our partners, with their volunteers and students in Cambodia, Vietnam and Rwanda and other countries which are helping us put these projects together.  

Armed with the experiences from this summer, we are planning even more ambitious and challenging projects for Fall 2020 and beyond.