A Year of Growth: How a Small Trial Became a Model for the Future

When we launched our first trial phonics course in 2024, we had one volunteer teacher, one borrowed phone, and a group of children meeting in a rural school with no reliable electricity and no learning materials. It was an experiment. A leap of faith. And a simple answer to a call for help. One question sat underneath everything we did:

'If we start small, provide what we can, and listen closely… what could this become?'

A year later, we have our answer:
It can become something powerful.

What’s Changed Since Our First Step

It’s been amazing to see how far the students have come since we first began the trial. Samban and the children in his village came together to build something special, and together, we’ve made huge strides:

✔ A Proper Learning Environment

We’ve delivered books and learning resources, sports equipment, and even a speaker to make lessons clearer. The school now has a permanent broadband connection, a generator to stop lesson interruptions, and enough materials for 30 children to learn properly—not just get by. 

✔ A Growing Team of Teachers

What began with one UK volunteer has now grown into a team of three committed UK based teachers, each bringing their own strengths and style. This has opened the door for more online lessons, more consistency, and more support for Samban and the students.

✔ A Year of Real-World Learning

Running this trial for over 12 months has given us something money can’t buy:
clarity. We've learned what works, what doesn’t, and what needs improving before we scale.

We’ve seen the impact consistent English lessons can have. We’ve seen children gain confidence, take pride in their work, and a whole community begin to believe that education isn’t something that happens to other people, it can happen to them, too.

A Major Step Forward: Partnering With a UK Teaching University

The most unexpected and exciting development is our developing relationship with a teaching University in the UK. They’ve recognised the potential of what we are doing and we’re now in conversations to:

• Grow our volunteer base through trainee teachers

• Develop and refine our phonics learning materials

• Share our model with other educators in Cambodia

• Build a long-term exchange of knowledge and training

It’s early days, but this could be transformative for rural education across Cambodia.

Building Something That Can Be Shared

We’re now refining our curriculum and shaping the lessons into short, structured courses. This means:

• Clear learning outcomes

• A consistent method that works across different villages

• A framework we can hand to other schools, NGOs, and teachers

Everything we do now is designed with one goal in mind: replication. Not to own anything, but to share it freely so others can lift their communities too. 

Investing in Cambodia’s Future Teachers

One thing has become absolutely clear to us this year:

If we want long-term change, we need Khmer teachers leading the way.

We want to see young Cambodian men and women:

• Go to university

• Earn teaching qualifications

• Join our teacher-training pathway

• Become confident, capable educators for their own communities

And we want them to pass those skills on, creating a ripple effect that spreads far beyond anything we could do. This is where charity becomes empowerment. It’s a powerful and sustainable path forward.

Looking Ahead: 2026 and Beyond

Up to this point, we’ve funded every part of this project ourselves—equipment, books, volunteer stipends, internet, power… everything.

In 2026, we’ll begin fundraising so we can:

• Build the teacher-training pathway 
• Grow our Cambodian teacher-training team 
  
• Strengthen our phonics lessons and resources  
• Develop a 4-year phonics based literacy curriculum 
• Provide more resources, more books, and more support
• Partner with Khmer led organisations working with vulnerable communities 
• Roll out our curriculum and teacher-training program to 22 Cambodian Public schools 

The trial proved our phonics system works. Now it’s time to expand. 

Why We’re Hopeful

Because the heart of this whole project hasn’t been us. It’s been Samban and the children in his village. It’s their determination. Their hunger to learn. Their belief that education can open doors.

Communities like theirs have never lacked motivation.
They’ve only lacked support, opportunity, and resources.

This past year has shown what can happen when those things finally arrive.