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The results are in!

From April 10-19, 2009, 221 students participated in the Schools Building Schools program to benefit American Assistance for Cambodia's (AAfC) Rural Schools Project.

Here's how it all adds up:

$6,066.31: Total contributions collected
110,390: Total minutes read (or 1,840 hours)
221: Number of participating students
8.3: Average hours of spring break reading per participating student
$27.40: Average contributions collected per participating student

Congratulations to Ms. Sheldon's English 1 class (mods 5-6), which raised $541.72 and earned a bagel breakfast.

Thanks to all students for participating!

Background

With an average household income of only $300 per person, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. Residents of rural villages live without electricity or running water. Families live in huts made from leaves and sticks; they own little more than the clothes on their backs. Despite this humble lifestyle, Cambodians crave education, which ranks with food and water as one of their necessities of life.

While it costs millions to build a school here in New Jersey, we can help build a 3-6 room Cambodian school with a donation of only $13,000. The school will serve 200-400 children in one of Cambodia's most remote and impoverished villages. Students will receive the training, skills, and access to technology to transform their isolated community into a truly global village.

How can you help?

During spring break — April 10-19, 2009 — join the Schools Building Schools (SBS) project:

Promise to read during the break; books, magazines, newspapers — they all count as reading!
Use the reading log to record the number of minutes you read each day
Use the pledge sheet to ask your family members and friends to make a financial contribution for every minute you read
At the end of your break, add up your reading minutes, collect your pledges, and turn in your checks, reading logs, and pledge sheets to your English teacher

The English class with the highest amount of contributions will win a bagel or pizza party.

Where will your contributions go?

The money we collect will be sent to American Assistance for Cambodia's (AAfC) Rural Schools Project. Founded in 1993 by American journalist and former Newsweek Tokyo bureau chief Bernie Krisher, AAfC is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to providing opportunities for youth and rural poor in Cambodia.

To learn more about AAfC and the Rural School Project, visit the organization's web site or download the Schools Building Schools presentation.