United World Schools

United World Schools (UWS) is a UK registered charity that builds and develops community schools for out-of-school children in South East Asia. The charity operates schools in Cambodia and Myanmar (Burma), with plans to open schools in Nepal and other countries. Chris Howarth founded UWS in 2008 after working a volunteer teacher in Cambodia with VSO.

The charity twins each community school it develops with another school in more affluent parts of the world. These schools help fund the UWS schools. and use the school partnership in curriculum areas such as global citizenship and International Baccalaureate studies. Some schools also provide volunteers for the schools and visit their UWS School. Schools are also funded by donations from individuals and organisations

Background

Chris Howarth, volunteered with VSO in Cambodia in 2006. While in Cambodia Chris saw a need and opportunity to work with the under-resourced local authorities of Ratanakiri, NE Cambodia. Working with Cambodian volunteer Nan Sitha, Chris’s daughter Anna Smuts, and colleagues from Portsmouth Grammar and Guildford Grammar school, UWS ran community engagement projects to connect the schools, uniting young people from the UK and Cambodia.

The first UWS school opened in Kong Nork School, Vernsai, Ratanakiri in 2008 and educates around 200 ethnic minority students.

UWS was founded in 2008 and was registered with the Charity Commission of England and Wales in May 2009.

Notable Supporters/Partners

• Charley Boorman
• British and Foreign School Society
• Red Maids' School
• Portsmouth Grammar School
• Royal Grammar School, Guildford
• British School of Tokyo
• West Island School
• Haileybury Almaty
• United World College of the Atlantic
• German Swiss International School
• St Christopher's School Bahrain
• Renaissance College, Hong Kong
• Hong Kong International School
• Westcliff High School for Girls
• Copleston High School

Countries Operating

• Cambodia
• Myanmar
• Nepal

External Links

• Official Web Site
• IB Organization: United World Schools- an interesting opportunity
• Tokyo Weekender - Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: The British School in Tokyo
• Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge - Bequest benefits libraries
• The British Chamber of Commerce in Japan - Caring to teach the unreached
• Ian Caswell - A research project evaluating the impact of delivering and establishing primary education in remote rural indigenous villages in Northeast Cambodia. (PDF)
• Just 10 Highlights of a Very Busy Week
• ‘We want a school.’ The ambition of a village, Northeast Cambodia
• PGS RUNS FOR CAMBODIA
• Cambodia partnership
• Partnership with United World Schools
• Tiffin Girls' in the Community
• Cambodia Link School
• St Louis School in Cambodia
• Grant towards construction of a village school in Cambodia