CORDE Current Programs
"Hope for the Heart"
Literacy and Empowerment for Children and Junior Youth
The Hope for the Heart Program was initiated in 1995. This program goes beyond the skills of reading and writing. Its aim is to equip young people with the words and way of thinking that will enable them to engage in meaningful social action as they grow. Thus it endows these young people with the capabilities needed to effectively use 'words' as an instrument for their own transformation and contribute to the transformation of their own community.
CORDE daily study groups are for a minimum 2 hours with a minimum class of 20 students. In 1995, they had 2 classes with 45 students. By 1997, there were 25 classes and 550 students. Currently, in 2007, there are 121 classes and 2151 students.
As students graduate and volunteer to be teachers, more classes open. Currently there are 57 tutorial classes with 1400 children. These classes supplement and complement school education. However, for about 50% of the children unable to afford schooling, this education given by CORDE is the only education they are receiving.
topCenters of Learning
To engage a wider population of the community and to gain from the systematic learning from the experiences of Literacy and Empowerment program, CORDE established Centers of Learning. These Centers invite youths and adult population to deepen their literacy ability and increase their power to express themselves and take social action to improve their community. Youths and adults are systematically trained to take up a path of service to help transform their own community. Among the courses are Peace Education, Environment Education, Organic Agriculture, Primary Health Care and Community Banking.
Curriculum
Children Ages 6-8
English Language for Children – This is a curriculum designed by a team of volunteers and CORDE teachers to help children learn English ina proper and systematic way.
Children ages 9-10
Moral Teaching Textbook 1 – This is the first book of a set of Moral Textbooks designed by Foundation of Science based in Lucknow, India. It not only teaches children English, but character development, some science and arts. It has attractive comics that keep the interestof the children. This set is also translated into Khmer Language for easy learning.
Children age 10
Moral Teaching Textbook 2 – After completing Moral Teaching Textbook 1.
Children age 11
Moral Teaching Textbook 3 – After completing Moral Teaching Textbook 2.
Junior Youth ages 12-14
Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program – This set of books is aimed to empower Junior Youths at this age of adolescent undergoing physical, emotional and social changes to develop a positive self-concept. It assists JY to develop vocabulary and enhance language literacy to express themselves as well as shape their thoughts.
Academic Programs for Youths:
Science – Properties
Maths – Numerical Statements, Classification
Social Science – Transition to Agriculture.
Breezes of Confirmation, by William Mmutle Masetlha Foundation
Glimmerings of Hope, by Development Learning Press
Learning About Excellent, by Development Learning Press
Walking the Straight Path, by Badi Foundation
Drawing on the Power of the Word, by Ruhi Foundation.
Community Schools
Community Schools will be established in very remote areas where the government is unable to provide schools or has not as yet been able to sustain the current schools. CORDE is following a model used in the Central African Republic where the community served, in partnership with a local NGO, maintains the school. The community offers the land and CORDE offers the building structure itself. The parents will provide agricultural products as food for the teachers and CORDE provides training, curriculum and a small allowance to sustain the teachers in the community.
CORDE has one community school at present in the process of being established in a remote village with a population of 2000. This is in the province of Oddormeanchey, north of Battambang and bordering the Lao and Thai border. The community has requested CORDE establish the school and they are in the process of locating a building site and training the teacher. The small details of the funding needed are still being worked out as this is their first community school.
Tuition-based Kindergarten
The second approach is a partnership with volunteers using the 'free hours' of the CCL, when older children are not in school. As school going age currently is 7 (or older if the child is unable to make the distance walking to school), it is vital to provide good education during these formative years of a child (3-5 years old). Using the experiences gained in Gems International School (a tuition and scholarship - based private school program), teachers (especially young mothers) have been trained and will enter into partnership with CORDE to provide preschool education to the children in the villages. The first one will start soon.
A fee of $2 per child per month will be charged to support the teacher. If the number of children is small (below 15) or a family is unable to pay the full fee and the collection is not able to sustain the teacher (approximately $30 per month), then CORDE will pay the difference to the teacher. In this way, the teacher is able to continue to serve the community.