Secondary school students in Cambodia now have the opportunity to study English through a project implemented by a group of University students.

These students are from the University chapter of Hack4Impact, a nonprofit organization in the U.S. aiming at developing software to solve important social and humanitarian needs, according to their official website. The Hack4Impact also cooperates with other non-profit organizations to solve problems.

Hack4Impact participants worked with Love Without Boundaries, an authentic international charity providing help for children in Asia and Africa since spring 2018. They developed an application for secondary school students in Cambodia to help them study English by providing standardized lessons and help from tutors online.

Timothy Ko, junior in engineering and product manager, said because of the network and server issues, the project was not implemented as scheduled. He said some students in Cambodia could not get access to the internet, and there were not enough computers for students. They were putting servers closer to students to help them access the application quicker, he said.

Ko said it took time for  Love Without Boundaries to look into the project and bring it into practice. He said the nonprofit organization has already brought the new product to six different schools, creating events to introduce the application to students.

Alvin Wu the co-founder of the University chapter of Hack4Impact, said in general, the application is like a student management platform that can help track students’ learning process. Students can work on worksheets to study English through courses and quizzes. Tutors on the platform can provide help to students on improving their English.

Wu said the advantage of this project is that Love Without Boundaries uses this application to provide direct tutoring for students. The tutors work remotely from English-speaking countries, he said.

“This project has already made a great impact by allowing students in Cambodia to practice English reading and writing with volunteer mentors in the U.S.,” said Kelly Wolfe, managing director of strategic partnerships of Love Without Boundaries foundation, in an email. “The impact will grow over time, as more students are able to utilize the program, thus preparing them for the college entrance exams.”

Wolfe said Love Without Boundaries is satisfied with the application provided by Hack4Impact students, and they are hoping to bring the application to more students each year.

“It is always the goal of LWB to provide the best care possible to the children in our programs,” Wolfe said. “The Hack4Impact project presented an excellent opportunity to work together to support secondary students in preparing for their futures. By allowing access to an engaging and interactive language tutoring program, Hack4Impact and LWB provided the tools for Cambodian students to strengthen their English language skills.”

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