Soccer Pitch for a Cambodian School
Impact - 600 students.

This project was initially born out of a Global Grant idea from the Prior Lake Rotary Club. The idea was to strengthen the Ptea Teuk Dong School (PTD) serving the Chamkar Samraong community in Battambang Cambodia. Through discussions of what to include in this grant (the Community Needs Assessment), it was apparent that the interrelated needs were vast and likely needed to be split into sections to provide the children of PTD school everything they need for a well-rounded education.

Faribault Rotary Club stepped in to take the soccer pitch (soccer field) development through the district grant process and help with physical education portion of the overall PTD project. Along with leading the grant process, Faribault also spearheaded the communication and fundraising needed to complete the project. The project cost a total of $10,700. A D5960 grant for $5,200 covered nearly half of the expense and 6 other D5960 clubs provided the rest of the funding.
 
In total 3 Rotary clubs helped see this project to completion. Prior Lake Rotary discovered the needs of the school and helped facilitate the meetings between PTD and the clubs. Prior Lake is now developing a Rotary Global Grant for in-school development.   Battambang Rotary oversaw the construction, utilizing local contractors and boosting the local economy. Much work had to take place to prepare and level the playing surface before the sod could be placed and allowed to take root. Other features of the field include statues that nurture cultural pride, sustainable solar lights to extend playtime, a beautiful flag pole and mount for the Cambodian flag AND, of course, a Rotary sign.

With the help of Battambang Rotary and Prior Lake Rotary, PTD now has a beautiful Soccer Pitch for the use their students as well as the surrounding community. With the creation of this much needed field, 600 students will have improved health and more well-rounded physical education. Also, countless community members will have access for local games and will also benefit from the field. This will help increase the standard of living, raise community morale, and increase visibility to the work the school is doing in the community. This soccer pitch is a prime example of what can be achieved through teamwork and strong individuals linked through Rotary.