Alistair Forbes

I'm raising funds for a project led by our friend Alisoun Mackenzie to build a school in Cambodia and would love your support.

Education is one of the most transformative influences on life outcomes for children across the world and the impact is greatest in low income countries – 1 dollar invested in a one-year increase in the mean years of schooling generates more than 5 dollars in additional gross earnings in these low-income countries. The adage of “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” holds true for every form of education – better education makes people more confident, more independent and much more likely to live a longer, more fulfilled life.

Of course, limited access to education is a large problem that will require sustained investment over many years to address but an investment in creating a single school can have a transformative effect on the lives of generations of children that will attend it.

This project is going to redefine the futures of children who would otherwise not have had the opportunity of an education. The Cambodian government has the funds to pay the teachers to staff a school but doesn’t have the capital to build and equip these schools in the first place. However, by the standards of the developed world, the sums required, while significant, are much more within reach – the target funds of $60,000 (around £45,000) are absolutely achievable, particularly with the inspiring team Alisoun has put together. I am part of this group and I have a target of raising £3,500 to play my part in funding the school build.

Classroom of Hope is a fantastic charity with a proven track record of building schools in Cambodia and this is the organisation that will manage the school build. With the funds that we raise, they will build a child-friendly school in partnership with the local community and with agreement from local officials to invest in providing paid teachers. They also provide extra training to teachers to ensure the children in these remote areas receive a good quality education.

You can find out more about the project HERE. If you would like to support the project please make a donation using the green DONATE NOW button above. Donations are in UK sterling (If you live outside the UK, £10 = US$13 = €11 – approximate values as at December 2018).

Please help me help a whole community of young people for generations to come by giving whatever you can.

The more people that know about Classroom of Hope, the more children will have their lives enriched by going to school so please also spread the word by sharing my page with your friends and family.

Thank you for reading this and an especial thank you if you are able to make a donation

With thanks and very best wishes,

Alistair.