2008 Field Mission

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2008 Field Mission

Under the tutelage of its founder, Jean-Michel Tijerina, and the Vice President for Strategic Planning, Caroline Rozeira de Mariz, The Cambodia Project is managed by staff located in both New York and Cambodia. Technical advice in several key areas, such as education planning and economic development, is provided to CPI by development professionals, students and alumni from leading international graduate schools including Columbia University, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), University of Texas (Austin), and Stanford University.

Cambodia Team Objectives - The summer 2008 in-country field mission surveyed land sites for construction, recruiting local contractors and architects, initiating engineering plans for construction, meeting with students and families for needs assessments and local NGOs and businesses in exploring revenue generation options for sustainability, researching Khmer curriculum for secondary education and teacher professional training, meeting with pertinent government officials as well as local and international NGOs for research and partnership exploration in regard to education and economic development, and presenting a medical needs assessment for the school community.

From its visit to five provinces in Cambodia, the team held focus groups with students, parents, teachers, and small business owners, and surveyed over 350 teachers in-training at the Takeo Teacher Training College. From attending seminars with USAID and World Education on "Educational Support to Children in Underserved Populations" and with the World Bank on "Identification of the Out-of-School Children with Particular Focus on Children with Disabilities," the team gathered further knowledge, support, and advice which have put our team into a great shape for strategic planning.

Stateside Team Objectives - From New York, the U.S. mission has been developing a financial plan and accounting structure for the organization. They also worked with business professionals advising The Cambodia Project in preparation for the fall gala, reaching out to and meeting firms for corporate social development, and expanding our capital campaign and fundraising strategy, marketing and brand development. The New York team also serves in research support capacity to the in-country staff for education programming, economic development, engineering, environment and healthcare needs.

Field Team

Notes from the Field:

[We] headed off to our location site at Chamcar Bei, a small village about 20 minutes from Kep. Once we pulled up to the school we met with our focus group of about 10 teenagers. They were pretty eager to talk about their experiences in high school, what they thought might help them, and their life ambitions. Some of them wished to be tour guides, some NGO workers, and others doctors. What was interesting was the gap in knowledge between knowing what one wants to become and how to get there. For instance, the girl who wanted to become a doctor did not seem to realize that she would have to study at university and go through several years of medical training before becoming a doctor. After being pressed twice on the issue, she merely responded that she would have to study a lot of biology in school.

It was also great to hear their response to our question: "What would you want to say to students like yourself in the United States?" They responded by saying that American students were lucky for being able to go to school for free. That they were lucky for having teachers that cared to teach and were well trained and had schools that were well equipped with labs and books. They wanted students in the United States to know that they too wanted these things but that they were not so lucky. It was clear that these students had a desire to learn, but that they had so much stacked against them. It was meeting these students that made clear to me why the work that I was doing for The Cambodia Project was so important.

-- Josh Bogus, Economic Development Technical Advisor, Student Focus Group, July 9, 2008

Read an article on our summer field mission as reported in the Columbia University School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA) Morningside Post on September 1, 2008. Click here.


Cambodia Education Team:

Hilary Nasin Hardaway, Education Program Manager

Hilary is a graduate in international education development from Teachers College at Columbia University. She also studied environmental studies with a concentration in international development at the University of Colorado. She then received her master of arts in teaching from Connecticut College, and taught science for a private secondary school in Manhattan for three years. Most recently, Hilary worked for two years with the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children in New York, first in Education and Emergencies and then as the Protection Program Manager and focal point for the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies Teacher Compensation Initiative. In 2007, Hilary conducted field research on a CARE International education program in remote Rantanakiri Province in Cambodia. In spring 2008, Hilary joined The Cambodia Project to lead the education team component of the Field Mission.

Esther Kim, Teacher Training & Operations

Esther is pursuing a master's degree in international education development from Teachers College at Columbia University. Her interest in this field began as a result of teaching for three years at international schools in London and Turkey. Her strong interest in education relates specifically to developing countries. Esther is developing The Cambodia Project teacher training program, based on the principles of child-friendly schools. Esther also assists the CEO in operations management from Cambodia.


Rebekkah Schear, Curriculum Development & Healthcare

Rebekkah is pursuing a master's degree in economic and political development from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. In Los Angeles, she worked as a teacher with private organizations and in the Los Angeles Unified School District. She also worked with the Wildwoods Foundation as an educational consultant helping to create and institute a character development and community building program for students in the greater Los Angeles area. Rebekkah is a passionate educator, and is developing The Cambodia Project school curriculum for secondary education based on the Khmer national model. In Cambodia, she leads The Cambodia Project healthcare development program. Rebekkah also co-chairs in event planning for The Cambodia Project Rubin Museum of Art Autumn Gala in New York City.

Cambodia Economic Development & Sustainability Team:

Joshua Bogus, Corporate Social Development

Joshua is a graduate of Stanford University in international relations. His interests lie in post-conflict reconstruction with particular focus in reconciliation and educational development programs. Joshua has field experience in Rwanda where he worked with a local women's development organization. As a member of The Cambodia Project Field Team, Joshua researches grant and funding opportunities with corporations and foundations. In addition, he also manages communications between New York and Cambodia and works with the economic development team in exploring revenue generation strategies.

Lucie Klarsfeld, Engineering & Environment

Lucie is a French graduate in engineering and economics, currently pursuing a degree in international affairs focusing on environmental policy at Columbia University. She engaged in community work while studying in Paris, teaching theatre to underprivileged 10 year olds. Her background includes working at Bain & Company in Paris, and at the Economic Department of the French Embassy in Bucharest. Her focus with The Cambodia Project in economic development also includes leading the organization's engineering and environmental policy teams.




Kimberly Panicek, Corporate Strategic Planning

Kimberly is currently pursuing her master's in public affairs at the Institut d'Etudes Politique de Paris at Sciences Po with a concentration in economic and territorial development. She studied political science at the University of Washington in Seattle. Kimberly worked for United States Senator Patty Murray for three years as the Senator's King County Office Director and the state wide education policy advisor. She served in the Washington Air Force National Guard in combat communications unit for six years. Kimberly leads The Cambodia Project economic development team, focusing on revenue generation and sustainability. In assisting the CEO in Cambodia with strategic planning and corporate social development , Kimberly also heads The Cambodia Project Capital Campaign.


Alex Ritter, Media & Communications

Alex is pursuing a master's degree in international affairs from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. As an undergraduate he studied economics at Vassar College and is currently concentrating in international economic policy at SIPA. Alex comes to The Cambodia Project with a background in marketing and press relations. In addition to serving on the economic development team on Social Impact Assessment in Cambodia, Alex is also Coordinator for Media and Communications and working with the New York staff on events marketing for the Rubin Museum Gala.

Emad Salem, Grants & Revenue Generation

Emad is currently pursuing a master's degree in international affairs with a concentration in economic and political development at Columbia University. Prior to enrolling, he worked as a Business Associate for InterMedia Survey Institute, managing subcontracts. Emad received his bachelors degrees in Economics and International Studies from American University in 2005. He currently is part of The Cambodia Project economic development team, focusing on revenue generation models for sustainability. Emad also leads the grants teams in both Cambodia and New York.


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