Community volunteers are now well on their way to becoming mentors for SCC's sponsored students! The three eager volunteers -- Pon Poon, Saleoun, and Sinkosal -- all gathered Wednesday, April 1, for a morning training session at the Son Thai Village Chief's home in rural Siem Reap.

The morning started with an ice breaker to allow the volunteers - who come from three different villages - to get to know each other. Andrea, SCC's General Manager, initiated the training with an introduction to SCC, familiarizing the mentors with our work. Then, Thida, SCC's Programme Officer, trained the volunteers on the mechanics of the Student Sponsorship Program and their integral roles, as student mentors. An energetic and entertaining role-play session between Andrea and Thida helped volunteers understand the do's and don'ts of effective mentoring.

The volunteers also had opportunities to share their educational experiences, particularly the challenges they faced and how they could use their experiences to mentor their students. Pon Poon, age 29, recounted how terribly far school was from his home. A tear came to his eye as he talked about the nights he had to sleep in the rice fields because the roads were too bad for him to make it home before dark.

Thida concluded the session, urging volunteers to reach out to her with questions and problems as they start to work with sponsored students. We hope that the mentor program will not only benefit the students, but also help develop these enthusiastic volunteers to become leaders in their communities.

Photo:  Community volunteers Kosal, Poon, and Salouen stand with SCC's Programme Officer, Thida, following the mentor training: