School Health for All Cambodian Children(SHCC)

I am delighted to share with you the journey and progress of our school health project in Cambodia. It all began in 2017 when the Nippon Foundation had the chance to take a delegation from the Myanmar Minister to a school affiliated with Tokyo Gakugei University. During this visit, the Myanmar Minister raised concerns about the issues of youth-related problems such as sexual problem behaviros and drug abuse near the border of Myanmar and inquired if Tokyo Gakugei University could help introduce school health programs in the area.

At that moment, I was approached with this request by the head of the International Division. Excited by the opportunity, I met with the Nippon Foundation’s Executive Director Mori and Ms. Otani to brainstorm ideas for a school health project in Myanmar. However, due to the uncertain political situation in Myanmar and changes in leadership, we decided to explore the possibility of implementing the project in Cambodia instead.

In 2018, I made my first trip to Cambodia and visited various educational institutions, including the Phnom Penh Teacher Education College and primary and secondary schools in Koh Kong Province. The enthusiasm and dedication of the Japanese individuals working in Cambodia left a profound impression on me.

In Cambodia, the government had recently made the decision to introduce school health programs in primary, lower secoundary, and secoundary schools, with plans to upgrade teacher education colleges in Phnom Penh and Battambang from two year teacher training center. In addition, new teacher education colleges include compulsory school health courses in the primary school curriculum. This alignment of goals and timing made Cambodia the place for our project to take root.

Thanks to the generous support of the Nippon Foundation, we initiated our efforts in 2020, focusing on creating textbooks for fourth-year primary school teacher training students in Phnom Penh and Battambang. With the collaborative effort of many, we successfully completed the Khmer version of the textbook in March 2023.

Our vision goes beyond textbook production. To further promote and develop school health in teacher education colleges, we believe in deepening academic exchanges between teacher education colleges in Phnom Penh, Battambang, and Tokyo Gakugei University. We hope to foster active collaborations in research, school health training, student health promotion activities, and exchanges with students eager to learn about school health.

Our journey has been made possible by a combination of determination, opportunity, and support. We are grateful to the Nippon Foundation for providing us with the means to make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of Cambodia’s youth. Together, we are creating a brighter and healthier future.

Thank you for joining us on this incredible journey.

Sincerely,
Asakura Takashi
Project Leader, School Health Project in Cambodia