This page documents our deployment strategy during the extraordinary times and challenges brought about by the Covid pandemic. A repository of all the ways we adapted our work to keep students physically well, and as engaged with learning as much as possible during the school closures in Cambodia – which lasted nearly a full two years from March 2020 until January 2022.

School is the Answer has always been our motto and it’s something we believe at our very core. But, during those unprecedented times, Food is the Answer had to take priority – because for a good number of our students, if there was no food, there could be no school.

Whilst providing food parcels to more than 800 of the most vulnerable students every 10 days, we were also hyper-focused on finding solutions for all our students to access some sort of classes. The vast majority were living in situations that did not allow them to participate in the education plan put forth by the government. In finding solutions to this massive challenge we learned all kinds of things along the way. We quickly delivered an eLearning progam that was already at development stage in early 2020. We could not have done this without assistance from our awesome uni student volunteers, who having also returned to their villages stepped in to mentorship roles for their younger peers. We took our tertiary workshops online, building on these new ways of communicating with our students, bringing them closer to us and to each other. 

We prioritised the care of our field staff during this time, who put themselves out there to deliver goods and solidarity to the most forgotten part of the population. We have always been proud of our team, but the way they rose to the many challenges and pivots required took that pride to a whole new level.  

And throughout, we heard from many of you, both in words and deeds. We felt empowered to be bold in our movements while keeping our hearts clear: acting on your behalf and doing what was ours to do.

Thank you for always having our backs. 

We have emerged from the Covid era stronger than ever, with all these silver linings under our belt. 

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