KAIST

To provide science education for Cambodian high school students and to share Korean art and culture. 

Cambodia was one of the 60 nations that joined the United Nations’ efforts to help South Korea during the Korean War in the 1950s. Now, a group of KAIST students starts a journey to return what that nation gave to Koreans so generously over six decades ago.

Initiated and planned by students, the volunteering project “KAIST Dream Tree Global Volunteering in Cambodia” offers science and math education to high school students in Cambodia for 11 days. The volunteer team is consisted of 15 undergraduate students and one faculty advisor, and they will work at Hosanna High School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from January 24 to February 3, 2015.

With around 150 student participants from Hosanna High School, KAIST students will teach math, physics, chemistry, and biology. They will also provide an opportunity to learn about Korean art and culture, including Taekwondo, a Korean traditional martial art, mural painting, and Korean language.

As K-Pop (Korean pop music) and Korean movies and television dramas have become popular in Cambodia, KAIST students will perform musicals and host a singing contest together with Cambodian students for fun and enjoyment. In addition, students from both countries plan to create flower beds around the high school campus.

Prior to the KAIST team’s departure to Cambodia, the university held a small ceremony to support the students’ volunteer work. Attending the ceremony with other senior faculty members, President Steve Kang thanked the students. He said, “KAIST students have been receiving tremendous support from Korean citizens, and it’s great to see how our students are repaying their generosity by helping young people who are less privileged. I’m really proud of our students and hope that this tradition of sharing science knowledge and passion for science with the global community continues.”

The ceremony took place on January 19, 2015 at the Guesthouse on campus.