Our schools experienced a roller coaster of a time in 2020: closed, open, closed, open with limited students, and now closed again. Yet, the students and staff never gave up! And neither did you with your continued donations! The school year which normally ends in August was extended to mid-December and the new academic year began in early January. We celebrated a late graduation on New Year’s Eve with 110 students graduating from 6th grade. We extend our heartfelt thanks to many donors, and especially Wei Ling Tan and her friends, for helping all these graduates with a new bicycle, new uniforms, and school supplies. These gifts enable all our Spitler and Kurata School graduates to attend Stephen Mazujian Middle School and continue their education. 

While we are happy that we have yet to receive any report about our students or staff contracting the coronavirus, Cambodia’s numbers are starting to increase. Because of this, the government has closed the schools again. As always, we will wait and hope to safely return to our campuses soon.

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Currently, Stephen Mazujian Middle School shares its campus with a separately run high school until the high school construction is complete. Recently the high school received a generous donation of computers, but had no building to house them. SMMS decided to volunteer its library building to be converted into a high school computer lab, and in turn, SMMS converted its open-air study hall into its new library. Something new for everyone! We appreciate everyone who answered our call for donations to make this building swap a success!

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Throughout this year of transition and adaptation, we are so grateful for your recent donations which directly provided our students and staff the certainty, safety, and comfort they needed. Because of YOU, we were able to:

1. Continue the salaries for our teachers and staff while many Cambodians lost their jobs and ways to support their families;
2. Provide emergency food to our most vulnerable students and their families; 
3. Build a new hand washing station at Stephen Mazujian Middle School;
4. Purchase thermometers, hand sanitizer, and masks to help prevent the spread of Covid in our village communities. 

This was all on top of our regular expenses as we continued to provide remote schooling, homework assignments, upkeep of the buildings, etc. During these times of uncertainty, you have helped bring back hope.