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language, Khmer, to English, and found it to be an excellent
teaching guide. e problem was that Cambodian teachers
simply hadn’t been taught how to use it well enough. e
consultants trained many of the CFC teachers to use the
Cambodian curriculum more effectively, and added English
as a second language and computer skills. ey also
identified and trained promising Cambodians to mentor
their peers in the new techniques.
“We are hoping it will eventually always be Cambodians
teaching Cambodians,” Paige says.
e curriculum and teaching success of CFC has been
recognized by the Cambodian government, which recently
invited the organization’s superintendent to speak at
educational conferences.
“e government has now turned to us to ask how they
can be involved,” Paige says. “We’re looking at making a
huge change in how the whole country handles its education
system.”
But the program does even more than provide the
educational tools that the students need. CFC believes in a
holistic approach to learning and development.
“We provide everything these children need to go to
school,” Paige says, including uniforms, a nutritious
breakfast, books, backpacks, flip-flops, bicycles and even
toothbrushes.
Because dental problems are a main cause of disease in
third-world countries, Paige helped CFC start a program
called Bright Smiles, Bright Futures. e program provides
toothbrushes and paste for all of the children at the schools,
where after breakfast, they brush their teeth.
“In the last three years, we haven’t had a single child
die,” Paige says. “Before the program, we were losing ten to
fifteen kids each year.”
Paige says that CFC has had an impact on the lives of
her own children, too.
“I visit Cambodia at least four times each year for about
a week. On one of those trips, I take my kids. I’ve been able
to show [them] a side of the world where there’s such great
need and such great hope. For us as a family, it’s been
incredible.”
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