Working in times of COVID-19 can be unsettling. Behind the scenes of Phare Ponleu Selpak, our staff and students tell us about their concerns and their strengths.

” What is happening is worse than anything I had expected. All art workshops, shows, outside performances, group tours, and classes have been cancelled. It is the first time I, my teammates, and everyone in Phare Ponleu Selpak have been facing such a radical turn of event. But we won’t give up our mission to protect the arts and keep working and supporting our performers at the same time. I have faith that we will be there for each other in the difficult moments.”

” With this situation and all the tourists cancelling their holidays in Cambodia, I haven’t guided any campus tour for a while. I miss being in contact with people from everywhere on the planet, sharing Phare stories with them and seeing their enthusiasm while witnessing all the positive things we are doing for the Cambodian youth. I am worried about the future of my job as a guide, but I love Phare’s vision to keep Cambodian arts alive no matter the difficulties. I am committed to help on what needs to be done. “

“Although the virus didn’t spread a lot in Cambodia, the economic crisis affected both our performing arts school and our circuses in Battambang and Siem Reap. In both locations, it represents around 200 people who have seen their activities completely stopping. We have to save the remaining budget to run the school and keep our students’ vocations alive, but we don’t know when we will be able to reopen it… It’s a big dilemma we are facing and we had to implement salary cuts for everyone. “

If our schools shut down too long, it will be hard for Phare children to catch up with lessons and keep their education level. Their parents might not have enough resources to home school them and keep them quarantined and safe from the COVID-19 virus. So far, we have done the best we could do for the children in our communities, it’s a blessing we can support them through our education programs.

” I miss practicing circus tricks with my friends. The Big top performances were raising money to support my family and my own living, but now it’s closed. I am losing confidence in my capacity to pass the school exams because I don’t have WIFI at home and I cannot afford to pay for much data on my old phone, so it makes it very slow and difficult to follow online classes. But I am happy to spend time with my family, I can share my concerns with my little sister who misses her traditional dance classes at Phare.”

” It will be very hard to find an internship in a company if the virus keeps spreading. With limited equipment and internet access in rural areas, my classmates and I are struggling to remember everything we have learned on software programs at Phare. I feel lucky to have a computer and use this time at home to train on Photoshop and create new artworks out of recycled newspapers. I’m also more connecting with my family, we are learning how to grow organic vegetables to sustain ourselves during the crisis. “

” We have been preparing for the worst case scenario after COVID-19 reached Cambodia. Our social workers saw a lot of families who lost their jobs or significant income. We gave them emergency relief packs with food and hygiene supplies but I am worried about their precarious situation. I believe in Phare’s vision to make children’s lives better by also supporting their families, raising awareness on child protection and encouraging a sense of solidarity within the communities. We have to stay strong and continue our mission.”

” Phare has become very quiet with no activities at all. If Phare doesn’t have any more income in the next days, weeks or months, it will affect our lives. We all feel very sad today, but we are still here, working together to renovate our campus. Once we can get back to work, we will have a nicer environment to work and study. I want to see Phare with even greater activities! “

” As one of the founders and community outreach manager of Phare, I am concerned about our staff, our students, their families and the organization as a whole. Our key priorities during this pandemic are raising awareness among the communities on best practices to stay healthy and safe, find financial support to continue our work and help those most in need. We are committed to keep our programs running and count on each other during this difficult time.”

Help more students in Battambang: Make a financial contribution to Phare Ponleu Selpak and empower youth to face tomorrow’s challenges.

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” What is happening is worse than anything I had expected. All workshops, shows, outside performances, group tours, and classes have been cancelled. It is the first time I, my teammates, and everyone in Phare Ponleu Selpak have been facing such a radical turn of event. But we won’t give up our mission to protect the arts and keep working and supporting our performers at the same time. I have faith that we will be there for each other in the difficult moments.”

” With this situation and all the tourists cancelling their holidays in Cambodia, I haven’t guided any campus tour for a while. I miss being in contact with people from everywhere on the planet, sharing Phare stories with them and seing their enthusiasm while witnessing all the positive things we are doing for the Cambodian youth. I am worried about the future of my job as a guide, but I love Phare’s vision to keep Cambodian arts alive no matter the difficulties. I am committed to help on what needs to be done. “

Although the virus didn’t spread a lot in Cambodia, the economic crisis affected both our performing school and our circuses in Battambang and Siem Reap. In both locations, it represents around 200 people who have seen their activities completely stopping. We have to save the remaining budget to run the school and keep our students’ vocations alive, but we dont know when we will be able to reopen it… It’s a big dilemma we are facing and we had to implement salary cuts for everyone. “

” If our schools shut down too long, it will be hard for Phare children to catch up with lessons and keep their education level. Their parents might not have enough resources to home school them and keep them quarantined and safe from the COVID-19 virus. So far, we have done the best we could do for the children in our communities, it’s a blessing we can support them through our education programs.”

” I miss practicing circus tricks with my friends. The Big top performances were raising money to support my family and my own living, but now it’s closed. I am loosing confidence in my capacity to pass the school exams because I don’t have wifi at home and I cannot afford to pay for much data on my old phone, so it makes it very slow and difficult to follow online classes. But I am happy to spend time with my family, I can share my concerns with my little sister who misses her traditional dance classes at Phare.”

” It will be very hard to find an internship in a company if the virus keeps spreading. With limited equipments and internet access in rural areas, my classmates and I are struggling to remember everything we have learned on software programs at Phare. I feel lucky to have a computer and use this time at home to train on photoshop and create new artworks out of recycled newspapers. I’m also more connecting with my family, we are learning how to grow organic vegetables to sustain ourselves during the crisis. “

” We have been preparing for the worse after COVID-19 started. Our social workers saw a lot of families who lost their jobs or significant income. We gave them emergency relief packs with food, hygiene and virus prevention supplies but I am worried about their precarious situation. I believe in Phare’s vision to make children’s lives better by also supporting their families, raising awareness on child protection and encouraging a sense of solidarity within the communities. We have to stay strong and continue our mission.”

” Phare has become very quiet with no activities at all. If Phare doesn’t have any more income in the next days, weeks or months, it will affect our lives. We all feel very sad today, but we are still here, working together to renovate our campus. Once we can get back to work, we will have a nicer environment to work and study. I want to see Phare with even greater activities! “

” As one of the founders and community outreach manager of Phare, I am concerned about our staff, our students, their families and the organization as a whole. Our key priorities during this pandemic are raising awareness among the communities on the best practices to stay healthy and safe, find financial support to continue our work and help those most in need. We are committed to keep our programs running and count on each other during this difficult time.”