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From Literacy Participant to Literacy Facilitator

Mrs. Yam Sarom, 35, a farmer in Prey Taour village, Talo commune, Pursat province, has a second grade education. Her family's living conditions were very poor, so she had to drop out of school to help them generate income to support the household. As years passed, she had no

opportunities to continue her education, and she forgot the little knowledge she learned through second grade.

In September 2010, Heifer's Community’s Empowerment and Environmental Protection Around Tonle Sap Lake project started in Sarom's community, and she decided to join a women's group to help implement the project. She finally got her chance to continue her education and was very happy to attend the Cornerstones literacy class to improve her literacy and numeric skills. Never missing a class, Sarom studied hard and enjoyed interacting with other literacy participants.

Unfortunately, after only two months, the Literacy Facilitator (LF) resigned, and the literacy class was postponed indefinitely. With everyone staying so busy with their family businesses, no one volunteered for the position. Because Sarom loves to learn, the self-help group (SHG) members, Project Coordinator (PC) and Community Facilitator (CF), as well as her husband, encouraged her to apply for the vacant position. "I refused to take this role, as my education is too low to be a LF," Sarom said. "But the PC and CF encouraged me, saying that I can do it. The Project Management Committee made writing and reading tests for me, and I passed the tests and interview. However, I am still concerned about how I can teach my SHG members." Sarom's capacity and teaching skills have been built and improved through her participation in Training of Trainer on Values-Based Literacy, provided by Heifer Cambodia at Siem Reap province. She met with many LFs from other provinces where Heifer projects are implemented. They shared experiences and helped each other prepare lesson plans. .

"Finally, I can run my literacy class in my village," Sarom said. "I feel my self is changed. Before, I had no self-confidence, but now I am no longer afraid of running the literacy class. From teaching others, I am able to improve my knowledge in writing, reading and

calculating. I can help people learn new things from what I teach in the Cornerstones literacy book. What make me happier is that most of my students (literacy participants) passed the exam of 12 Cornerstones literacy book. Thanks to Heifer for making me changed."

Sarom has two things to share with all women. For LFs, she believes that to get participants to attend literacy class, it is important to explain the importance of learning and encourage them to be active in class by scoring their exams and not blaming them if they make a mistake in class. "Before starting the class," she said, "we have to prepare a clear lesson plan. We have to be open when our participants give feedback to us." For literacy participants, Sarom believes that studying is very important and urges them to not think about their age. "We are never too old to learn," she said. "The more we learn, the more knowledge and benefits we gain".

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