MG2010 RazooNIT: Sustainable Schools International

Kari and George Grossman, the founders of Sustainable Schools International, are pursuing their vision of a healed Cambodia, where rural villagers are empowered and enabled to sustain schools that serve their children and community needs, while upholding their culture and preserving the natural environment.

Successful education actively involves the community in sustaining the school.

Cambodia is still recovering from the massive societal damage inflicted by the Khmer Rouge regime, in particular fear and oppression break-down relationships, damage people's problem-solving abilities and limit their options. Yet, a school can serve as a natural center to rebuild community trust and cohesion. At Sustainable Schools International, we work with the community to look to each other for the answer.

We support parents' roles as leaders for their children.

We recognize the critical role of education in rebuilding trust and relationships in the aftermath of widespread violence. We work with the school community and parents to create avenues to express community needs in ways that build trust, ownership, and develop skills.

We offer community-selected higher education scholarships.

At Sustainable Schools International we recognized the need to build a strong foundation of primary educaiton especially for girls.

When promising students are given a scholarship to attend secondary school and high school, they make a commitment to come back to work for a time in the community with their new skills and knowledge. This helps ensure that the community really sees the multiple benefits from the education of its children.

Education, environmental stewardship, community solidarity and good governance take root.

When local people are empowered to support their schools and academic skills compliment hands-on experience, people start to believe they can change their community for the better.

At Sustainable Schools International we work with Cambodians in poor, rural and marginalized communities to sustain their schools in ways that serve their children and their aspirations and support the larger community as a whole.