10x10 in Cambodia with Room to Read

10x10 in Cambodia with 'Room to Read' On on first day in Phnom Penh, we went to the country headquarters for Room to Read and met with their country director Kann Kall, who is a remarkable man. Most of his family perished during Pol Pot. And today, he is absolutely galvanized by the idea that educating girls can save his country. They had a courtyard full of books ready to be delivered out into the countryside. There was something very inspiring about how tangible the books seem as a tool for educating girls across the country. He spoke to us about how Room to Read is educating the very first generation of Cambodian girls. He describes sitting with a class of kids and asking how many of them had parents who could read or write. And not a single hand went up. One of the things that we often forget about all of this talk about sending girls to school is what they do when they don't go to school. And of course school is an amazing way to get an education, but it also keeps them from the kind of brutal back breaking labor, or prostitution or early marriage. All of the things that girls who don't get an education end up suffering from. Room to Read invited us to travel with them into the countryside and they chose Siem Reap province because it's a very interesting place. That's where Angkor Wat is, but it's also a province of Cambodia where wealth sits side by side with poverty. And because of Pol Pot most of the adult population there is illiterate. Approximately 90%. It was pretty intimidating when we would arrive at these schools, they were usually a pretty long drive out into the countryside. We would do our little song and dance about how important girls education is and then often we would ask for questions. The first question would come from a dad in the front row who would say I understand that it's important for me to keep my girl in school, but I just need to know when is it going to pay. And you realize that for these parents who are really struggling to feed their familes, to keep their families healthy and alive. The idea of losing a girl in their minds to go to school when she could be at home working in the rice field, or taking care of the house, or taking care of younger children is a big sacrifice for them. And is a sacrifice for the future, which is in a culture that is living this hand to mouth is a hard one to make. Photography: Martha Adams Narration: Richard Robbins and Martha Adams Editing: Yasmina Guerda 10x10act.org Roomtoread.org