Arts and Culture Cambodia Project #40038

Help keep a Cambodian Music and Dance School open

by Salvation Centre Cambodia

Project Report | May 31, 2022
Traditional Music Give Poor Cambodian Youth Hope!

By Son Sovann | Executive Director

Chin Sok is providing the traditional music

Chin Sok, the 18-years-old, is the eldest brother of 6 siblings, whose poor widow mother cannot cover even daily food, living in Siem Reap Province, is making income from Khmer Traditional Music just after the covid-19 eased in Cambodia. The youth has been earning money to cover his family’s expenditures so that his brother and sisters have been able to attend the school like other children. This burden caused him to drop out of school at a young age and enrolled in free-of-charge training on Khmer traditional music course with Salvation Centre Cambodia, SCC. The Khmer traditional music is transforming him to have a decent life and contributed to maintaining Khmer traditions.

He has been studying Khmer traditional music at SCC school from March 2016 until today. He is now able to play many types of Khmer traditional music that he is always hired to play the music with friends at any events, receiving an incentive of around 20.00 US dollars per time. Remarkably, he is happy to share this knowledge with their classmates when the teacher was absent or the teacher gave him training. He has clearly instructed the key methods to learn Khmer traditional music to the next generation. Beyond the transferred knowledge to other students, he also shared good lessons learned and habits such as practicing music regularly/often, trying to study hard, rehearsing together, listening to the devices of the instructor, adhering to a clear aim, and following our dreams. He said, “These are the methods that I have practiced and found to be very useful and effective ways in practicing the music”.

In the future, he wants to become a professional Khmer Traditional Musician so he studies and practices very hard with the music. Finally, we’d like to appeal to all philanthropists to join us to make other poor youths' dreams come true as well as to maintain Khmer Traditional Music. Thank you for your generous kindness of yours through SCC.

Trained students perform Khmer Traditional music

Students are hired to play at a restaurant

They are playing at a ceremony in the communities

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Feb 1, 2022
Khmer traditional music boosted poor children's livelihood families and the culture of Cambodia

By Son Sovann | Executive Director

SCC's children are playing Khmer traditional music

Salvation Centre Cambodia (SCC) is a non-profit and non-government organization established in 1994 that continues to support and encourage Cambodian youth to continue their education effort. We commit to producing more and more youth who is able to earn income by themselves from Khmer traditions music through entertaining local and international visitors in any events to support their own education and their family livelihood. The most important thing is to contribute to keeping Khmer traditional music that’s Cambodia's identity.

Nakia, 16 years old, is the third child in a poor family living in Siem Reap province of Cambodia with his parents who have four children in charge of which two are girls. In the past, he wanted to drop out of school because of poor living-condition. However, he is currently in Grade 10 at Angkor High School in Siem Reap. He is very interested in the study of Khmer traditional music, Pleng Pinpeat. Identifying his talents and the poor living situation of his family, the SCC staff and Khmer traditional music teacher in Siem Reap selected him to enroll in study Pleng Pinpeat at SCC School of Khmer traditional music. Nakia has been learning this skill from 2019 until today. He took up the skill of playing Sralai (a Cambodian wind instrument that uses a quadruple reed to produce sound) and playing other types of Khmer traditional music. "I have many chances to play Pleng Pinpeat, Khmer traditional music, in restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, and festivals in the province with many friends," Nakia said. He added that this knowledge made him earn some money to support either his own education or his poor parents. He has been paid 20 US dollars for every performance. “Another important thing is that I'm willing to transfer this Khmer tradition music skill heritage from one generation to another,” he said.

According to his mother said, "He becomes a good child since joint with the school,". He is obedient to me and his father, and he helps with household chores such as making Khmer cakes when he is free from learning and playing music. Moreover, he commits to continue studying till graduating the university so that he will be able to help his family, community, and country. She added that my husband and I are very happy and will support him to finish university as his will.

In the end, Nakia would like to urge other young people to study hard, do not take this precious time with useless things. In particular, stay away from drugs, alcohol, which can cause young people to lose dementia, forgetfulness, and possibly HIV transmission.

All of our activities are a result of contributions like you who are supporting our work to strengthen the education of poor and vulnerable children in Siem Reap province where Angkor Temple is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia.

The team is hired to play at an event

Nakia is at high school with his classmate

A kind of traditional instrumental music, Sralai

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Oct 6, 2021
Soft skills are really important during the COVID-19

By Chhneang Kirivan | Project Leader

Saron standing in front of his house at Siem Reap

"Soft skills are really important. Through this skill, people are able to help themselves, their community and their society," said a Khmer traditional music teacher. Saron is 16-year-old. He lives in Siem Reap province. Having seen the difficult living condition of this young boy, SCC staff members based in Siem Reap province, including a teacher of Khmer Traditional music, decided to select him to study Khmer Traditional music at SCC center. He has been learning this skill since 2017; as a result, he is now able to play many Khmer Traditional musical instruments, such as drumming, Sampo, Roneath and Kong. While taking a break from his studying at schools or being invited to play traditional Khmer music in restaurants, hotels, or different events for many times with many of his friends. He has used this knowledge to raise some money to support his education, in part, he also use this money to help their parents as well. Another important thing is that he is continuing the Khmer national heritage from one generation to another. As a civil society organization, we continue to support him in his efforts to continue his studies because Mr. Kimsot, who is his instructor, has observed that this young boy has a gentle attitude and tries his best to study. He said that. "This young boy does not come to school one hundred percent regularly because he is busy helping his parents who have up to five children in charge. His family has to spend a lot of money." According to the father, he told us by telephone: "My son is a good child, obedient to his advices, knows how to help with household chores, such as helping to sell things, he was born with this skill, he learns and understands quickly." He added that based on the current living conditions, he could not afford to help his child finish university, only high school. However, lest the child move forward, he will be able to support his own education, then it is up to him. The parents' obligation continues to support and encourage the child as much as possible. This is because I have many children; the young boy told his father that, "I need to attain the high level of education; it was because it is easier to find a job and have more opportunities to help my family, community and country. Last but not least, as a young person, I would like to urge other young people to study hard, do not take this precious time to hang out with gangsters. In particular, stay away from drugs. Let's prevent the spread of HIV and COVID-19. Brave Cambodian young man!

Saron was in welcoming guest event at SCC School

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