Original report from Washington
07 September 2009
Buddhist monks and educators in San Jose, Calif., have noted a growing concern in Khmer communities regarding the loss of the Khmer language in the US and the linkage it offers to Cambodian culture and traditions.
A community of Cambodian volunteers has been running the Cambodian Literacy School of San Jose for 20 years to prevent this.
The school aims to bring Cambodian children back to their cultural roots and encourage them towards education and better communication with their parents, through language lessons and cultural programs.
Kas Thon, a senior teacher and adviser, has helped transform the Khmer Literacy School with a new structure. He said the projects are now designed to provide services that bridge the intergenerational gap between Cambodian parents and their children.
“Since early 1989, we have been serving hundreds of Cambodian and non-Cambodian students, aged 7 to late twenties, throughout the county of Santa Clara. When we first started, we had 300 students, and we did not have enough rooms for them. We opened another location. Parents, with continuous support, kept bringing children to classes regularly.”
No comments:
Post a Comment