Photo credit: Olivia AUDO
Over the past year, Phare’s mobile library has brought joy and literary opportunities to children in Battambang. The brightly decorated rickshaw, brimming with books, and the welcoming smiles of volunteers have all become a staple image of Phare’s Mobile Library, sparking curiosity and a love for reading among young children in the community.
The heart of this mobile operation is Phare’s campus library, a vibrant space that embodies the spirit of Phare’s commitment to inclusive education. By focusing on literacy and inclusivity as foundational elements of educational success, Phare seeks to foster a rich, well-rounded learning environment while bringing brightness to the arts. More than 500 students, faculty, and community members pass through the library’s doors each month.
Photo credit: Olivia AUDO
The on-campus library caters for people of all ages, with books appropriate for every age. Library programming is specifically focused on Kindergarten, Elementary, and High School students. In addition, Phare staff and student families are also welcome to utilize library services and materials. To encompass such a large and diverse audience, the library is stocked with books spanning a wide variety of topics and complexity levels. In keeping with Phare’s mission, there is a particular dedication to material featuring Cambodia’s history and cultural traditions.
During the Khmer Rouge, higher education and historical knowledge was considered a threat to the regime. Education and literacy beyond regime politics was punished severely, and educated people were specifically targeted. The Khmer Rouge attempted to rewrite Cambodian history and succeeded in destroying many physical copies and landmarks detailing Khmer history. In response, Phare’s library maintains a collection of diverse books and sources about Cambodia’s history, ensuring that this vital knowledge remains accessible to students and the community.
Photo credit: Olivia AUDO
Designed to promote literacy in an organic and imaginative way, Phare’s library engages students through structured weekly visits and tailored programming. For younger children, including kindergartners, the library offers events designed with child development in mind, such as read-aloud Storytimes and crafts. These activities foster early literacy habits that are crucial for lifelong learning. Phare regularly surveys student participation and library visits, and as new programs and resources are introduced, there has been an increase in engagement and visits.
Photo credit: Olivia AUDO
Dedicated time and support are the foundation for lifelong learning. Phare’s librarian staff understand this and look for new ways to improve and expand resources. Generous donations enable our library to evolve and become more inclusive and have directly impacted the educational pursuit of Phare students. This ongoing support directly funds ongoing library development projects, including the creation of a digital library database, librarian staff training, and improvement upon the library space and technology. Phare’s recent mobile library addition has brought not only greater community involvement and outreach, but empowerment and confidence to our young people. nt in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Education and literacy skills empower individuals and lift up communities. As youth represent the future, literacy lays the groundwork for their success. Phare’s library is an integral aspect of a well-rounded education, and tirelessly continues to provide the best programming and resources available. The teamwork of our staff and donors allows dreams to be made reality and paves the way for a brighter future.