Cambodia's children plug into the information superhighway

Children in a remote Cambodian village are now able to access the Internet

November 19, 1999
Web posted at: 1:07 p.m. HKT (0507 GMT)

ROBAP, Cambodia (CNN) -- Children in a remote and desperately poor Cambodian village are now some of the first in the region to go online.

Three new schools in Preah Vihar province, an isolated area that borders Thailand, were recently equipped with computers supplied by charity organizations from the United States and Japan.

The computers are powered by solar energy and linked to satellite dishes which provide a connection to the Internet.

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Correspondent Allison Tom looks at how the generosity of others is providing access to the information superhighway for children in Cambodia Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K Correspondent Allison Tom looks at how the generosity of others is providing access to the information superhighway for children in Cambodia QuickTime Play Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

"I want these children to first of all make up for what they have lost, and then get ahead by bringing them into the 21st century, " says Bernard Krishner, chairman of American Assistance for Cambodia.

Krishner said internet access could help their villages get medical care through telemedicine and connect with hospitals around the world to give them health information.

But before the system can be fully implemented, an education gap needs to be overcome. Many of the children don't know how to use the high-tech computers.

The problem is made worse by difficulties in convincing teachers to work in remote areas of the country.

Another participant in the project, former Japanese Environment Minister Wakako Hironaka, said education in the use of the Internet was important to the success of any region.

"From Japan's experience, education led to our current success, and I thought, if Japan can do it, why not in Cambodia," she said.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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