A second boat-library on the waters of Tonlé Sap

The first boat-library will be sustainable this year. In response to the needs and requests of the villages, a second boat has been in service since January. It gives over 5,700 people access to a library close to home.

It's the 15^th and last addition to the mobile library fleet of Sipar that criss-cross the roads of Cambodia, or rather the waters here. Since January, the second boat-library has been serving three floating villages in the commune of Phat Sanday. It offers reading and non-formal education services. The vast majority of the 1,200 families living on these sites make their living from fishing, with very little access to education and health services. 40% of them are under 18. In addition, the illiteracy rate is high, and children as young as 13 often drop out of school. Not least because secondary schools are too far from their village. Few families can afford to send their children to boarding schools in neighboring towns.

Every week, Sipar's two salaried educator-librarians offer reading activities with storytelling sessions, educational games and book borrowing. Sipar also offers tutoring sessions for teenagers. The aim is to prevent them from dropping out of school and to support them in their career choices. Three times a year, awareness-raising sessions on social issues are also offered to local residents.