The bright, colorful rickshaw navigating the roads of Battambang is a traveling beacon of hope, imagination, and community transformation. Originally launched in 2019 and dynamically revitalized in 2023, the Phare Mobile Library brings books, creative learning, and pure joy directly to children who need it most.
Growing Our Impact
Fuelled by our main on-campus library—which serves over 500 visitors monthly—the Mobile Library bridges the educational gap for families living far from traditional schools. By showing up every Thursday and Friday, our teams foster lifelong reading habits and offer a vibrant, positive alternative to excessive screen time.
According to data shared by our Education Manager in, funding and resource limitations mean the project hasn’t physically expanded its geographical footprint to new communes this year. However, we have successfully developed new strategic ways to grow our impact:
- Strategic Collaboration: We teamed up with an organisation in Battambang province to run mobile library activities directly inside two of their centres. This allows us to reach vulnerable children and parents within our current scope.
- Deep Roots in the Communes: In our established coverage areas, local chiefs in Chamkar Samrong and Ochar previously reported an astounding 90% child participation rate across 11 villages.
- Steady Engagement: Currently, each targeted community trip sees an average of 30 enthusiastic children and parents actively participating in the learning sessions.
Core Activities: Where Literacy Meets the Arts
What makes this project unique is how it weaves foundational education with the magic of the arts. As detailed in image_185f90.png, it isn’t just about handing out books; it’s about arriving with a carefully curated toolkit designed to spark reading fluency, critical thinking, and artistic self-expression.
📚 Reading Fluency & Cultural Pride
Guided by our passionate educators and mobile librarians, children learn to read fluently and confidently. Crucially, our books help preserve Cambodian history and cultural traditions. To build these skills, our mobile repository brings a wide variety of reading materials, including short illustrated storybooks, traditional folktales, leveled books for all reading stages, and fundamental skill-builders.
The impact stretches straight into the heart of the home:
“Education does not happen only in schools; when a family becomes a child’s first library, it creates the strongest foundation. A teacher’s greatest happiness is seeing a love of learning blossom within the family.”
🎨 The “Mobile Library STEAM” & Visual Arts
We continue to put the “A” (Arts) in STEM education. Our team introduces hands-on visual arts lessons supplying drawing paper, coloring pages, pencils, paints, and craft tools. Beyond pure art, we unpack dedicated educational games like puzzles, flashcards, analytical thinking games, and building blocks to strengthen both logic and core social skills.
🎪 Performing Arts & Social Impact
The energy reaches a peak when students from the Phare Performing Arts School take the stage. Providing short theatrical sketches, circus arts, dance, classical music, and clowning, these performances keep the children engaged while subtly educating the audience on critical social topics. Storytime is also elevated using specialized visual tools, including oversized Big Books and a traditional Wooden TV box (Kamishibai paper theater).
Overcoming Challenges & Finding Inspiration
Running a library on wheels comes with its own unique set of obstacles. Weather changes bring tough conditions—from rainy season downpours to extreme dry season heat. Furthermore, economic hardships in some villages mean parents must occasionally send their children to work for wages during their free time.
Yet, the motivation to keep pushing forward remains unshakeable.
“The most encouraging moment is when we arrive and see children running toward us with big smiles, eagerly waiting to welcome our tuk-tuks. When they ask enthusiastically, ‘Teacher, when will you come again? I want to continue reading this book…’ those bright, sparkling eyes take away all our fatigue.”
This vital work is sustained by the deep trust of parents, community members, and local authorities who consistently help gather the children.
Driving the Mission Forward
None of this would be possible without the custom-designed mobile library vehicle—originally a brand-new rickshaw generously sponsored by the Nomura Group and painted by talented teachers from the Phare Visual and Applied Arts School.
Behind the scenes, the tireless dedication of our core team continues to drive this mission:
- Kong Kunthea (Education Manager)
- Hout Kimhang (Mobile Librarian)
- Ren Reaksa (Mobile Librarian)
Looking to the Future
Supported by our incredible global community of donors, we are moving ahead with plans to digitalize our library database, upgrade our educational technology, and provide advanced professional training for our librarian staff. Thank you to everyone who reads, performs, drives, and supports the Mobile Library. Here’s to many more miles of smiles!
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Visit Phare Ponleu Selpak—and discover how art can change lives.
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