This World Bicycle Day on 3 June we are celebrating the great benefits that a two-wheeler can bring children living in poverty.

Fourteen-year-old Prasak (pictured above) came across many dangers on his walk to school, but a deadly snake was one of the scariest.

“I saw a cobra moving on the road and it started following me,” Prasak says. “I ran away quickly.”

Prasak took a different path the next day. It was longer route and he was almost late to class.

Getting to school isn’t easyfor Prasak, who lives in a rural community in Battambang Province, in far northwest Cambodia. It takes him an hour to walk to school, and for most of the year it’s a long trek through sweltering heat. Prasak often arrives to class, exhausted. With the all the surrounding farmland and wilderness in his community, there is also a higher chance of encountering dangerous wildlife.

Prasak and many other children living in remote and rural communities risk abandoning their education because of the long distances they must walk to school, and the potential dangers they face along the way. A lack of transport means some families decide it is safer for their children to stay home.

Prasak’s parents work in construction, but it has been difficult for them to find long-term, stable jobs in Cambodia. Prasak and his family migrated to Thailand for three years to find work. During this time Prasak was not able to go to school and fell behind in his learning.

Today, Prasak and his family are back in Cambodia and Prasak is finishing Grade 3.

ChildFund Cambodia is supporting Prasak with a bicycle and helmet so he can travel to school safer and faster, as well as uniforms and school supplies. “I’m happy to have the bike because I’m not late to school anymore and I’m not exhausted from walking,” he said. He is also less afraid of being attacked by snakes on the road.  

Prasak is also attending a peer educator program supported by ChildFund, where senior students help him to read and write, and work through numeracy problems. He is determined to do well in his studies and finish high school.

“I want to have a better job and a better future than my parents,” Prasak said.

If you’re inspired by Prasak’s story and would like to be a part of creating a better world for children, here are three simple ways your donation can make a difference this World Bicycle Day:

• Bicycle and helmet: Your donation could help aspiring students get to class safely and stay in school, spending more time studying and not travelling.

• School supplies: Your gift gives a student the essential items they need for a successful year of learning, along with a backpack to carry them in.

• Bright future bundle: Every child dreams of a brighter future. The bundle includes a scholarship, a bicycle and school supplies for a student.

All children have the right to an education. For many children living with a hearing impairment this means extra support in the classroom and a teacher that can communicate using sign language.

More than 50 kilometres from the communities where ChildFund Cambodia works, one school has dedicated themselves to providing education to children who are hearing impaired. Two brothers, Bunna, age 15, and Lina, age 10, are just two young people that go to this school.

“I felt unhappy when my parents first brought me to stay here, and they went back home. My younger brother, Lina, cried that day. I tried to talk to and comfort him till he fell asleep. So, it was difficult at first but now that we have settled in, we are happier, and we learn better,” said Bunna. 

The school is one of very few where children who are hearing impaired can gain a higher education and access the support needed to achieve this. The school is run by the Cambodian Government and receives support from a cohort of not-for-profit organisations.

At the school, each child can access accommodation, food and any supplies needed for school. The school is free so that any child can attend, no matter their socio-economic background.

One project staff member working at a local partner organisation Khmer NGO for Education (KHEN), Mr Sophat is passionate about this school. He believes that all children, regardless of whether they live with a hearing impairment or other disability, should be able to access an education. Mr. Sophat said: “Parents do not want to send their deaf child to that particular school because they are concerned for their child’s well-being while they are apart, and they knew nothing about the school.”

To help the parents understand how the school functions, ChildFund and KHEN ran school tours for them. Then they could see where their child would live, and it helped them build trust in the school. The parents were more confident that their child would be safe and cared for while at the school.

Local authorities also accompanied the group to support the tour, answer any questions and encourage them to send their hearing impaired children to gain an education at the school. The school now has six children with hearing impairments ranging in age from six to 14.

“In contrast to my previous school, where I struggled to understand what the teacher was saying, my teacher here has been tremendously encouraging,” said Bunna.

The brothers are also excited about making new friends. “I feel very happy that I can now make more friends. Earlier, I used to become quite stressed out when I couldn’t comprehend what people were saying. I have a lot of friends here, and we get along great and support one another in class. Indeed, all my pals are deaf, but we can still communicate to one another and have fun playing together.”

When the children go home on weekends or for school holidays, they keep in touch through Facebook Messenger, FaceTime and other online platforms.

“The project gives deaf children in my community a fresh future, enabling them to communicate, learn, and avoid exclusion not like older deaf before ChildFund arrived,” said Ms. Sareth, one local community leader.

This school is a part of the Disability Empowerment and Education project aims to provide children with all types of disabilities – physical or intellectual – with basic children rights. This means access to health care, education, and the opportunity to contribute to their community.

Learn more about how ChildFund Cambodia is working with local communities and partners to make sure that children living with hearing impairment and other disabilities can access an education and have a chance at a brighter future.

You can also help to support education for hearing impaired children by signing up to donate monthly to ChildFund. With your help, many more children will be supported to go to school and to complete their education. That includes girls, children with disabilities, and children from ethnic minorities.