03-11-2014

Project Little Dream, sustainable schools in Cambodia

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Investing in education is investing in the future of a nation.



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Project Little Dream, sustainable schools in Cambodia
Investing in education is investing in the future of a nation. Based on this premise, the non-profit, student-run charity organisation, Project Little Dream designs, builds and runs primary schools in Cambodia. The residents of Takeo can take great pride in the Thon Mun Community Centre and its architectural concept.



The Thon Mun Community Centre is located in Takeo, a southwest Cambodian region famous for its silk-weaving, and since 2012, it has been offering free education to 200 students from the village of Thon Mun





The project was self-built by volunteers from the student-run charity organisation Project Little Dream together with local craftsmen and is based on indigenous materials and tradition, mainly using bamboo for both the walls and the ceilings. The school is formed of two structures standing on a raised platform and connected by a shaded patio area.





The building occupies part of the village pagoda area and engages with the community by turning it into a real public arena. The separate sanitary facilities are more solid and also have visually impacting gabion walls



Rubble was collected from local temples that had been destroyed, giving these architectural elements a great deal of symbolism: they clearly mark the efforts of the volunteers and they are also a manifestation of history, incorporated into the foundation being used to build the future.



The Thon Mun Community Centre built by the Project Little Dreams volunteers is not only limited to maintaining the status quo, it also actively seeks to improve the quality of teaching with ongoing staff training. This environmentally-friendly school also won the Architizer A+ Popular Choice Award, but more importantly it promotes sustainable social values.

Project: Project Little Dream, http://www.littledream.org/
Location: Takeo, Cambodia
Year: 2012
Photography: Courtesy of Project Little Dream

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