Classrooms Without Borders is a nonprofit organization that aims to provide high-quality education to children in developing nations. It builds schools, trains teachers, and connects classrooms globally. The organization was founded in Cambodia, where its founder first established a school in 2001. Currently, Classrooms Without Borders focuses on supporting a school in Cambodia through funding, teacher training, and constructing a new facility. Its long-term goal is to help the school become self-sustaining and expand its work to other developing regions.

1. Classrooms Without Borders

2. Our Mission Classrooms Without Borders works with communities in developing nations to provide free and sustainable education with world-class standards to children and adolescents.

4. We aim to contribute to the creation of a more balanced world where all students can benefit from the same opportunities to achieve their full potential.

6. We approach our work in three main ways: • We build schools • We train and support educators • We build networks

7. Our History In 2001 Richard Hicks, a retired teacher, sought to continue his educational calling. He relocated to Battambang, Cambodia with his wife, Bouen Sum, a native Cambodian.

8. There, he established a school - Association for Knowledge Development (AKD), an NGO - with personal and family contributions.

9. AKD School

10. In 2007, the first AKD School closed due to lack of funding.

11. In order to reopen the school and support schools in other areas of the world, Richard’s children Steven Hicks and Pamela Spycher, both lifelong educators, formed Classrooms Without Borders.

12. Current Work The need for high quality schools and expert teachers in Cambodia and other developing nations is urgent.

13. Why Cambodia? Cambodia is still recovering from decades of civil war and internal strife.

14. The Khmer Rouge was the ruling political party of Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and was responsible for one of the worst genocides of the twentieth century.

15. Under Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge tried to take Cambodia back to the Middle Ages.

16. More than a million people – some say up to 2.5 million – died from execution, starvation, disease, and exhaustion.

17. More than one-third of Cambodians live below the official poverty line (less than $1 per day), and although primary school attendance rates are high, less than half of all students complete primary school (Unicef, 2007).

18. Education can easily become a luxury item when hunger and political peril are present, but it can also be a powerful remedy to the effects of persistent poverty and injustice.

20. Current Work Our focus with the AKD School in Battambang, Cambodia is not only to immediately support the school with supplies, maintenance, and textbooks, but also in the long-term goal of teacher training and building a new state of the art school that will provide comprehensive education in the community.

21. AKD: The Association for Knowledge Development We aspire to create a high quality school with a full program of educational and vocational training, along with room for theater, dance, music, a computer lab, as well as sports facilities, food service, and library facilities.

22. CWB 5-year Plan

23. Year One Raise $40,000 to support the AKD school in Battambang, Cambodia Send U.S. teachers to teach in Cambodia Establish sister classrooms between U.S. classrooms and Cambodian classrooms Work with the AKD community to plan for a new school building

24. Year Two Begin construction of new school Formalize teacher exchange and sister classrooms projects Provide training to AKD teachers and director

25. Years Three through Five Help AKD to become self-sustaining Pursue projects with schools in the developing world Formalize our organization to ensure sustainability

26. There is no doubt English is the international language for business, science, and culture. Giving young Cambodians the opportunity to acquire this valuable tool will lead to greater success and development of this emerging nation and economy.

27. How YOU Can Help

28. 1. Make a donation now: • $15 will buy a nice library book • $50 will buy a desk $150 will educate a child for one year $200 will fund a high quality teacher for one month $500 will keep the lights on in the school for one year

29. 2. Hold a Fundraiser: At your child’s school At work At church Online

30. 3. Sell tickets for us for Macy’s Community Shopping Day!

31. 4. Help spread the word!

32. References http://www.icmpa.umd.edu/salzburg/terrorism/wp-content/doc/2007/08/gr4099_khmer3.jpg http://www.mekong.net/cambodia/images/ts_vctms.jpg http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/v7i1/cam202.jpg http://www.michaelgormley.com/asia/wp-content/uploads/2006/07/PolPot.JPG http://placeholdermedia.com/projects/59revolutions/assets/images/PolPot.jpg