By Travis Thompson
Ponheary Ly Foundation’s oldest school has been the most challenging in many ways, but now thanks to our supporters in Australia and at AMT Coffee, Knar Primary is gearing up for some huge leaps forward.
Solar panel array at Knar Primary School. Thanks to AMT Coffee and PLF Australia, an expansion is coming.
In the beginning of PLF’s work with Knar School, nighttime English classes operated on car batteries that powered small lights in the classrooms. Two years later, two solar panels were installed to run better lights, providing an even brighter classroom. As PLF’s work ramped up, the number of solar panels at the school was tripled.
After a successful rollout of One Laptop Per Child computers in the Knar library over the past year, PLF and school staff are making way for a full desktop computer lab at Knar, the first school in this area to have such technology. The initial part of this project is installing even more solar, giving students full-day power to learn Microsoft Office programs.
Support from AMT Coffee in the UK launched these technological advances at Knar years ago, and today is continuing to propel the school into a more tech-savvy place where students can learn skills that will dramatically increase their ability to find a wider array of jobs and climb out of poverty, but also give them a better
PLF launched a One Laptop Per Child computer program over the past year as a first step in a bigger tech program for the school.
shot of staying in school longer, as we’ve seen with past technology students at other PLF schools who improved their grades in all classes after learning in our computer classes.
These solar and technology advances are big in and of themselves, but AMT’s support has transformed Knar’s English classes, and allowed students to also start participating in regular arts and crafts workshops, library game time, reading time and science classes in addition to keeping Knar students well fed and their teachers well equipped.
Stay tuned for updates over the coming months, a very exciting time is ahead for students at Knar!
AMT coffee is a chain of coffee shops in the U.K. They have outlets in railway stations, airports, hospitals and universities. On each of their stands they have a PLF collecting box that people can put their small change in, if they want. Over the years AMT has sent a considerable amount of money to the Foundation. Their significant and generous contributions have been instrumental in keeping Knar school on the road to success, penny by penny.
The power of small change is amazing!
It’s always fun to hear back from visitors and volunteers from the London area when they get back home and grab a coffee at the train and come face to face with the Knar kids at the Kiosk~!
I see a lot of AMT coffee stands as I travel around the U.K. It thrills me beyond words every time I see those lovely smiling children from Knar looking out at me from a collecting box full of coins. Also, AMT make by far the best coffee available. Coffee, a delicious morsel to to eat and support for Knar Scool – What could be better? I LOVE YOU AMT!