Access Granted!

Kania takes off for class on her own as her proud father looks on. 

ABCs and Rice has been open and accessible to hundreds of children since 2009. As of one week ago, thanks to your generous support, our school is now open to all students with disabilities, including the strong little girl in the photo above, heading off to class on her own for the first time in her life. 

Over the last few weeks, workers have been busy installing concrete walkways throughout our sandy grounds, totaling nearly 70 square meters (around 750 square feet) of concrete to get from the front gate, to the library, and on to each of our 6 classrooms.   

The video below is a walk through of the full length of the pathway on our campus.  

Your funds also supported the expansion of one of our bathrooms to accommodate all of our students here at school. We will have bathroom support rails installed in the next few weeks once they arrive on special delivery from Australia. 

Out with the old bathroom and in with the new. Motorcycle helmets for safety.

The finished bathroom on the right with double the space and a lighter and wider door

Finally, with your help, we had a ramp designed and built especially to fit our classrooms at ABCs. The ramp will be able to move from class to class as the children grow through our skill levels:

The kindergarten classroom - before and after the installation of the ramp

Ready for class as her excited classmates look on

With a pathway to get there, and a ramp to get in, the learning can begin. 

On top of this project, Kania has the coolest motorbike in Cambodia.  A UK-based organization called Motor Step supported the design and build of a special motorbike to ensure Kania gets to and from school each day. We are so thankful for their support!

At home with her father, ready for school

The special motorbike secures her wheelchair and has ramp access into the sidecar.

Because of your support, ABCs and Rice is now fully accessible to students with disabilities for generations of students in the surrounding villages in Siem Reap. Over the last few weeks, your generosity has changed the life of our students, including Kania and Sonya, who are now getting an education for the first time, and happy to be at ABCs. 

"The only disability is when people cannot see human potential" - Debra Ruh

On behalf of ABCs and Rice, thank you for your support!