Newsletters
December 2010 - January - February 2011
INTERVIEW
NEWS FROM SALA BAI SCHOOL
- Getting familiar with budget management
- Reading, a means of expression
- The Xth intake recruitement is on
BOOSTERS
IN FRANCE
- Talents & Partage finances professional restaurant equipment
- Running for Agir pour le Cambodge
- Gastronomic dinner at Saint Nazaire on March 18th
- Feydeau places performed to the benefit of Agir pour le Cambodge
EXTENDED THANKS
Interview : "Sala Baï's know how transferred to other NGOs"
Eric Guérin is a project manager at Osmose, an NGO that runs a community-based ecotourism program in the floating villages of Prek Toal and Peak Kantel on the Tonlé Sap Lake. The NGO has regularly asked Sala Baï's Cooking and Housekeeping trainer to transfer their skill, an interesting collaboration between organizations contributing to the economic development of Cambodia.
"Since 2007 in the floating village of Peak Kantel and since 2009 in Prek Toal, Osmose has set up a community-based ecotourism program" says Eric Guérin. "To sustain this ecotourism program, women had to be trained. We asked the Kitchen and Housekeeping trainers of Sala Baï to do so. The result has been quite outstanding since the restaurant has been acclaimed by all visitors, for the service quality as well as for the food.
A transfer of a genuine know-how in a short time. We put up three new training sessions last October and November. Pisan, the Senior Cooking Trainer at Sala Baï, could answer all the accurate questions asked by the village women. He gave them hints to make dishes look more appetizing".
The same training had been organized for the women running the restaurant of the community-based ecotourism in Banteay Chmar, started by Agir pour le Cambodge in 2007 and transferred to the Village Committees in 2009.
News from Sala Baï school
Getting familiar with budget management
Every other week, students may withdraw money from their own account, all or part of their monthly food-allowance. A real introduction to budget management.
Each month, Sala Baï students receive a $22 food-allowance for the meals they are not served at school: dinners and week-end meals. Their Math teacher had already taught them how to best manage that amount of money, but passing from theory to practice was not so easy.
This year, the social workers team has decided to simulate personal accounts by writing on small note-books in and out money moves, signed by a social worker/banker and a student/customer. A very useful exercise in real before the opening of their first bank account.
News from Sala Baï school
Reading, a means of expression
Thanks again to the social workers'dedication, the Sala Baï's library has changed place ans reopened. Since then, it's always crowded.
The social workers team, in charge of general culture classes, has initiated the "re-birth" of the library that now counts 700 books. Former students have been asked to bring more attractive books for the younger intakes and spread the word among their intake comrades. More than 300 books have thus been collected.
General culture classes are more lively, each student having to present a book in front of their peers. No matter what their choice is, ranging from history to cooking and poetry. The expected result is there: "or some, a five minute presentation of any subject is a real ordeal. I can check that they are not as shy as before and that they become confident", confides Rithy Nouv, a social worker. "They are now able to talk with eye contact, to meet the western culture expectation". An asset for their future professional life.
News from Sala Baï school
The Xth intake recruitement is on
The recruitment of the students of the next Sala Baï intake launched early January is going on. The four social workers of Sala Baï will go through 12 provinces of Cambodia to visit the candidates' families during ten weeks.
They will check their socio-economic situation and will make sure they agree to let their child follow the training. The short list of the 100 new students will start school on next September 5th, will have shown all through this six-month long process, their high motivation to study at Sala Baï. Year after year, the school has grown as a place of good quality training and has paved the way of a better future for its students.
Boosters
History books
Thanks to your generosity, books on the Khmer Rouge era (cf last newsletter) "I lived the war in Cambodia", published by Sipar NGO, where distributed to all Sala baï students at the lend of a lecture on this particular subject given by Son Soubert on last January 31st.
Many students and teachers alike, had never had the opportunity to treat these dark pages of their history ans discuss about it so freely.
Boosters
T-shirts for the entire intake
So that they look nice and feel at ease, we will have to renew the orange t-shirts of the whole intake for the end of the year exams. We thus need 100 t-shirts, one t-shirt being priced $2.
If you want to contribute, you may:
- make an on line donation on www.salabai.com, or
- send a check to Agir pour le Cambodge, 120, avenue de Suffren 75015 Paris
In France
Talents & Partage finances professional restaurant equipment
Change of professional equipment that has become obsolete: a bakery mixer, a coffee maker, a top-counter/refrigerator and a vegetable slicer have been entirely financed by Talents & Partage, the solidarity organization of employees and retired employees of the Société Générale group.
These new equipments will allow the school to go on giving a free of charge vocational training of quality at Sala Baï and welcome its customers at the training Hotel and Restaurant in good conditions. Between mid-October 2009 and mid-July 2010, 3957 customers were counted at the training Restaurant when 1554 customers were at the Hotel, allowing the self-financing of 17 students.
The Sala Baï students together with the entire team of Agir pour le Cambodge want to convey their warmest thanks to Talents & Partage for its long-time support. In 2005, they had already offered the printing of the French version of our cookbook" La cuisine du Cambodge avec les apprentis de Sala Baï."
In France
Running for Agir pour le Cambodge
You practise sports and wish to do good for Agir pour le Cambodge, you may now collect funds for our organization by taking part, alone as a team, to sports challenge.
Beginning or confirmed runners, each one may find an adapted race to his/her level, the proposed challenges being from the 6km race to the famous Marathon of 26 miles and 385 yards. The half-Marathon (March 6th) and the Paris Marathon (April 10th) as well as the Hero Race (June 26th) are among our next partnership races.
If you are interested, do not hesitate to contact us: contact(at)agirpourlecambodge.org
In France
Gastronomic dinner at Saint-Nazaire on March 18th
On March 18th, Sainte-Anne High School of Saint-Nazaire, under the auspices of the organization of Nouveau Challenge pour le Cambodge, is putting up a gastronomic dinner in its training restaurant called Atlantic, to the benefit of Sala Baï.
For its 5th year of support to Sala Baï, the Sainte-Anne Restaurant High School proposes a delicately set menu at the price of 50 euros. Poached Oysters in a iodized foam with a Peal of Rapsberry Vinegar, Etrilles Crab Fumet, Young Leek and Blue Poppy-Seeds, marinated young Pork laquered with Sweet Spices, Honeyed Waffles, Coco Ice cream with a Pineapple Sauce, to only mention a few of the dishes that will be served at this fundaraising dinner.
The dinner will be sponsored by Phillipe Gloaguen, president of the Guide du Routard and Chair membre of Agir pour le Cambodge.
In France
Feydeau plays performed to the benefit of Agir pour le Cambodge
The Comédie des Ternes group will perform two short plays by Georges Feydeau "Léonie est en avance" and"On purge bébé" to the benefit of Agir pour le Cambodge.
The performances will take place from March 31st to April 2011 at the Saint-Léon Theater, Paris XV, at 8:30pm from Thursday to Saturday and at 3:30pm on Sunday.
Book your seats directly on the Comédie des Ternes website:
How to support Sala Baï
You wish to support our action and enable young Cambodians coming from underprivileged families to follow a vocational training of high quality, paving his way to a better future. Several actions are possible. You are:
- a Food and Beverage Manager in a Restaurant, a student or a trainer in a Restaurant School, you may organize a fundraising dinner;
- a sportsman, you may take part, alone or with a team, to sports challenges wearing our colors and fundraising;
- a musician or an actor, you may set up performances to the benefit of Sala Baï's students;
- an employee in a company that supports solidarity through a Foundation, you may ask for a financial support.
Thank you for the support you will bring to us. Without you, nothing would be possible.
Extended thanks
You have been many to come and listen to the Oya Kephalé concerts at the end of December. We thank you very much for attending them.
Many thanks to the donors who answered favorably to our Christmas fundraising. Their contribution will allow to pay part of the future intake's training. But we are still looking for sponsors!