The Khmer Rouge genocide and nearly two decades of civil war left Cambodia’s social institutions and infrastructure in ruins. Only 42.6 percent of adults had completed primary school in 2004. The Government of Cambodia has made significant progress in rebuilding its educational system: over 6,000 schools have opened, and 77 percent of children aged 6-12 now attend primary school, but the country is far from achieving universal primary education. Over 40 percent fail to complete primary school. Seventy-two percent of children are over age 6 when they first enter school. Other problems restricting learning include erratic attendance by children and teachers, low morale among severely underpaid teachers, and impaired performance due to inadequate nutrition.

International Relief & Development (IRD) is encouraging timely school enrollment, attendance, and completion in 51 schools in Kampong Chhanang province by providing healthy on-site meals, take-home rations for girls, take-home incentives rations for grade 6 completion and timely school enrollment, and take-home rations awards to high performing teachers. IRD and local school committees prepare nutritious meals daily for over 23,000 children, consisting of either corn-soy blend or wheat-soy blend plus vitamin-A fortified soybean oil and salt, spices or palm sugar plus raisins or other fruit available locally, similar to rice-based Cambodian ba bor, a traditional breakfast food. IRD is working with school committees, faith-based organizations, village chiefs, and Commune Councils to inform villagers of the availability and the criteria for take home rations.

IRD is distributing take-home rations for female students in grades 7, 8 and 9 who have an attendance rate of 85 percent or better, in schools with a gender imbalance. Rations of soybean oil, beans, and canned pink salmon will be distributed three times during the nine-month school year. These rations are intended to supplement not replace family food resources. They encourage families to send girls to school by offsetting the economic loss incurred by the girls’ delayed entry into work.

Security concerns also make parents reluctant to send their daughters to school once they have reached puberty, since getting from home to school involves a long walk on isolated roads. In a pilot program, IRD is mobilizing parents in the community served by Tuol Khpos primary school to send their girls to school in a group by oxcart accompanied by trusted men from the community to ensure safe arrival and return. The oxcart owners will receive monthly rations for regular service.

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