I am pleased to give reference for Saing Sokchea, whom I have worked with Sokchea for almost 3 years, and have experienced the results of his transforming youth from poor communities in Cambodia first hand.
In April 2006 Sokchea and I started Aziza Schoolhouse in the Dey Krahorm slum community of Phnom Penh, which in the beginning was a small after school program offering free English. Thanks to Sokchea’s ability to partner with the community, notorious for its issues with violence, gangs, prostitution and drugs, we’ve become a trusted institution and community center providing trainings and services to the community 7 days a week. As the Country Manager I am routinely told that what we accomplished is extraordinary, to which I reply that the credit belongs largely to Sokchea.
Sokchea has significant firsthand experience with conflict. His primary responsibilities have been to work in slum communities, where he has spent thousands of hours and has more insight than most experts in the development field. During this time he has become a person of respect within the community, where conflict is routine, and he has been instrumental in facilitating discussion around conflict on many occasions. I could cite numerous examples, including the time where a member of the community came inside our school and began punching a student, a gangster who lived nearby who was caught stealing a part from a staff member’s motorbike during class, a student’s sister was been beat by her husband, and many more, all of which Sokchea handled with grace and compassion. But more important is his vision to create unity and get a mass of students and neighbors to be on
the side of our school, look out for us, and gain tools to transform their community.
Sokchea’s greatest contribution has been his work as a leadership trainer, where he teaches a comprehensive curriculum on life skills with an emphasis on relationships. The result from these trainings on our students has been truly transformative, where the visible difference in their attitudes and self confidence was unmistakable. Seeing that he was so effective, we have been invited by 5 additional NGOs to date to do training in their communities, and each one has been an impressive effort with great results.
I consider Sokchea to have a gift, as a trainer, since he can inspire people and transform communities. After his trainings students reconcile issues with their family and friends, take on new initiatives, and have a greater sense of themselves. This may sound too good to be true, but I do not embellish what has taken place.
Sokchea’s spoken English is excellent, having worked extensively with western people over the past 3 years, in addition to formal classroom training. His comprehension is high, and he has extensive knowledge of conflict and peacebuilding vocabulary, having studied/co-trained with a psychologist, a trainer of non-violent communication, and several personal growth related studies.
I hope that as you read this glowing recommendation, you keep in mind that it represents a compilation of feedback from multiple people who have worked with Sokchea, foreigners and Khmer, all of whom are amazed with his energy and abilities.
You can see stories that include Sokchea’s work and learn more about our projects on the Village Earth website, under the Cambodia project page. Please contact me if I can be of assistance or provide additional information.
Thank you,
Drew McDowell
Country Manager
In April 2006 Sokchea and I started Aziza Schoolhouse in the Dey Krahorm slum community of Phnom Penh, which in the beginning was a small after school program offering free English. Thanks to Sokchea’s ability to partner with the community, notorious for its issues with violence, gangs, prostitution and drugs, we’ve become a trusted institution and community center providing trainings and services to the community 7 days a week. As the Country Manager I am routinely told that what we accomplished is extraordinary, to which I reply that the credit belongs largely to Sokchea.
Sokchea has significant firsthand experience with conflict. His primary responsibilities have been to work in slum communities, where he has spent thousands of hours and has more insight than most experts in the development field. During this time he has become a person of respect within the community, where conflict is routine, and he has been instrumental in facilitating discussion around conflict on many occasions. I could cite numerous examples, including the time where a member of the community came inside our school and began punching a student, a gangster who lived nearby who was caught stealing a part from a staff member’s motorbike during class, a student’s sister was been beat by her husband, and many more, all of which Sokchea handled with grace and compassion. But more important is his vision to create unity and get a mass of students and neighbors to be on
the side of our school, look out for us, and gain tools to transform their community.Sokchea’s greatest contribution has been his work as a leadership trainer, where he teaches a comprehensive curriculum on life skills with an emphasis on relationships. The result from these trainings on our students has been truly transformative, where the visible difference in their attitudes and self confidence was unmistakable. Seeing that he was so effective, we have been invited by 5 additional NGOs to date to do training in their communities, and each one has been an impressive effort with great results.
I consider Sokchea to have a gift, as a trainer, since he can inspire people and transform communities. After his trainings students reconcile issues with their family and friends, take on new initiatives, and have a greater sense of themselves. This may sound too good to be true, but I do not embellish what has taken place.
Sokchea’s spoken English is excellent, having worked extensively with western people over the past 3 years, in addition to formal classroom training. His comprehension is high, and he has extensive knowledge of conflict and peacebuilding vocabulary, having studied/co-trained with a psychologist, a trainer of non-violent communication, and several personal growth related studies.
I hope that as you read this glowing recommendation, you keep in mind that it represents a compilation of feedback from multiple people who have worked with Sokchea, foreigners and Khmer, all of whom are amazed with his energy and abilities.
You can see stories that include Sokchea’s work and learn more about our projects on the Village Earth website, under the Cambodia project page. Please contact me if I can be of assistance or provide additional information.
Thank you,
Drew McDowell
Country Manager
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