Last week, our team visited Toap Mean Elementary School in Kampong Speu. We'd been planning this trip for a while, coordinating with the school and local leaders to figure out what would actually be useful.
We arrived on a warm morning to find students already gathered under the assembly tent. The school sits out in the countryside, surrounded by farmland, the kind of setting where you can hear everything and the air smells like rain even when it's dry. We came with notebooks, pens, and basic school supplies. We also brought snacks and water since it was a long assembly and kids get restless. The handoff itself was straightforward. Students lined up, teachers helped distribute everything, and within about twenty minutes, every kid had a new notebook and something to write with.
Gome Farm has been operating in this area for years. A lot of our employees come from nearby villages. Their kids might go to schools like this one. Supporting local education is connected to the community we're already part of.
We don't have grand plans to overhaul the education system. But if we can make sure a classroom has enough pencils, or students have notebooks that last the semester, that feels like something worth doing. The teachers were welcoming and honest about what the school needs. We're keeping those conversations going.
To the staff and students at Toap Mean: thanks for having us. Wish you a fruitful semester.
