Dalby State High School students take part in humanitarian project in Cambodia

Dalby State High School students recently returned from a humanitarian project in Cambodia. See what they got up to here.

While kids across Queensland basked in the last weeks of their summer holiday, a small group of students from Dalby State High School were in Cambodia, completing a humanitarian project.

The Dalby students renovated a kindergarten room complete with an alphabet mural.

Dalby State High School head of arts Tara Routley guided an expedition of 12 Dalby students and four teachers to Phnom Penh for two weeks.

The students spent eight of their 14 day trip working on their project, which was facilitated through Projects Abroad.

The students spent eight of their 14 day trip working on their project.

The students renovated a kindergarten room, complete with an educational mural, paved outdoor areas, taught some English, and showed the Cambodian students the ways of cricket.

They were exposed to classrooms where 50 kids would pack into small classrooms and learn with pen and paper as their only utensils.

The humanitarian project was facilitated through Projects Abroad.

After their project was completed, the students spent a few days learning about the history of the region, picking up some language skills and trying exotic foods.

Ms Routley said she started organising the trip at the end of 2019, to give students the invaluable opportunity to learn about other cultures and lifestyles.

“Australian kids need to see how people live in other parts of the world,” Ms Routley said.

There were 12 students and four teacher on the trip, lead by Tara Routley.

The Dalby students helped teach English and cricket.

Going on international service trips may be a standard practice for many private high schools, but was certainly a first for Dalby State High.

In the lead up to the trip, students raised money by collecting cans and with the help of the Rotary, but Education Queensland regulations states that fundraising can only be used for the educational component of the trip. This meant that students still had to pay for flights and accommodation.

The students were immersed in Cambodian culture, learning some history, language and trying traditional foods.

Ms Routley said her students described the experience as “eye-opening, inspiring, and life-changing”.

The students raised money for the trip by collecting cans and with the help of the Rotary.

Originally published as Dalby State High School students take part in humanitarian project in Cambodia