Probably because I’m getting old, probably because of too many bad things happening all over the world, anyway I see I’m often on the verge of losing the hope about human beings. Every time my consideration on people falls down to the lowest level, then life shows me there is still “light”. One of these “lights” came to me just few months ago. Thanks to Facebook, I have been contacted by an amazingly positive couple.

He is an American man and his wife is a Khmer (Cambodian) girl. They were often “liking” my photos about my Cambodian subjects. After some time they contacted me and they told me what they do.

In a very remote village in northern Cambodia, they settled down and they built their own house. For many foreigners here is the final point. The ending point of their path. Not for David Bryant, for his beautiful wife Som Noy and their cool son Zack!

They built up a small, simple but “warm” school for local kids. They teach English language to Khmer children for free. Kids of that village use to go to the public school in the morning and then, in the afternoon, they can learn English at the Kevin Levrone English school. As I said, they do it as a no profit activity. Children aren’t forced to go, they just want to learn. Moreover that family is so nice that can make every single child feel comfortable. They have started with four kids and now they have already two classes of 25 children each!!!

But this is not all. Every 3 months they take all those kids and they bring them to the closest town’s hospital for medical check and, when they need, for specific medications.

Some time ago they were informed of a child in that village who was not attending the public school lessons because his family couldn’t afford the school uniform. They took that small boy and they bought him the school uniform. All what they do, it is done beyond their own possibilities (economically speaking) and beyond private donations. They have their profile on Facebook where people can see what they do, people can ask for information and can donate some money. What I really like about them is the fact they need and they want to make the school growing up and they need what every school needs. So, when it is the time to buy books (for example) they write on Facebook “we need this number of books”. For them it doesn’t matter to receive money to buy books or to receive directly books. Their aim isn’t profit, isn’t money but to have everything they need to go on teaching English to those children.

It’s useless to say that the whole village loves them!
One day a small and poor house of a local farmer got burned. They built that house up again from zero! Of course not a luxury one. They did it just like the house was before the fire. A simple, cheap Cambodian house. They gave back to that unlucky family a place where to live.

So, I agreed with them to meet and to take some photos of their amazing activity. When I reached the place where they live I realized that over there people aren’t used to foreigners. At all! Everybody was watching at me smiling but surprised. The family explained to me that it was still early for the English lesson so we had a ride around. We reached the local public school and they offered me to get into the school to take some photos. Of course I said “YES!!”

In front of the main building there was a middle age man (the director of the school) sleeping on a chair under a big tree. We awake him and he allowed us to step inside for photos.

As soon as we were inside the school class I said to the pupils not to pay attention to me and to behave like I was not there. No way! Even the teacher was watching at me with his mouth open!

In front of that building there is a shelter (wooden columns and metallic roof) where other 3 classes of children were learning. Small kids made school inside and the elder ones under the shelter.

We came back to the family’s house because it was almost time for their English lesson. Slowly a colored row of children has started to arrive. All of them with the smile of who is going to do something he/she likes and not something you have been told because “you have to”.

To see that simple and small school full of happy kids was something that made me feel really good.

The lesson was held by both of them, David and Som, and kids were interested and silent.

Slide for more photos

After the lesson I had the possibility to talk with David about future plans for his school. He told me he wants to build a small soccer playground and a small swimming pool next to his house because he likes the idea that kids can come over there not only to learn English language but also to enjoy, to play and to have fun using facilities which they can’t have in that village. The guy, David, never makes a serious face even if he is talking about serious matters.

He is a very easygoing man and from his eyes you can really feel a wave of positive energy.

It was already time for me to leave and to go back to Siem Reap (80 km by bike) so I said bye to Dave, to Som and their cool child. I promised them I will come back as soon as the covid situation allows me to travel.

If even you (dear reader) think that family is doing something great and you want to help them (even with a very small donation of few dollars) so this is their Facebook page “Kevin English” where you can ask them for every kind of information:

www.facebook.com/kevin.english.3726