January, 2005

Dear Friends,

The Library of Cambodia Project has developed a plan for the step by step construction and stocking of a fully functioning library system with branch facilities for use both by schools at the sites and, importantly, for the surrounding communities as well. It is based on our experiences in Vietnam and Laos that led a growing library construction program.

The initial building was constructed adjacent to Pho Thuan Secondary School , Duc Pho District, Quang Ngai Province , Vietnam . We were honored to have the advice and support of the various People's Committees at the Commune, District, and Provincial levels. We consulted with the administrative officials for the Ministry of Education and Training in Hanoi who so kindly received us when we asked for permission to show them our idea.

The result of that effort by Vietnamese and Americans was a library that all of us can be proud of and which stands as a monument to cooperation of our peoples. Also, because we received so much input from both Vietnamese and Americans, it provided a well-conceived and thought-out simple blueprint for additional branch facilities that are being built.

While each new site will have unique characteristics that require, once again, the advice and support of the local government officials, educational professionals, and community leaders, we still have the base design that is the hallmark of every new one. With your support, we will be able to built, furnish, and stock the libraries and provide computer capabilities, within our budget.

Now, we have the opportunity to carry the program to Cambodia . We are so very lucky to have the advice, direction and support of Bernie Krisher, former Newsweek Bureau Chief in Tokyo , and humanitarian extraordinaire in Cambodia . He has built some 230 schools in the country and brought about numerous innovations in bridging the “Digital Divide”. Indeed, it is his staff and contacts that he has so generously offered us that are making possible our inaugural projects in Cambodia .

We must thank Ed Bacharach of Chicago for making this most fortunate introduction to Bernie Krisher. Ed for his part has been a tireless promoter of health and education program in Cambodia . Money is hard to find but good people are even harder to find. Thanks to Bernie and Ed, we now have the people and the talent to make for successful projects in Cambodia .

What follows is an outline of the central elements of the project, the design, and standard agreements along with a list of individuals on our team.

We are truly honored to have the opportunity to present this project to you and look forward to working with you to make it a reality. It is yet another example of America as its best, a monument to the American spirit as it lives in the hearts, minds and souls of individual Americans who wish to build “A New Dawn” between the Cambodian and American peoples.

Francis. J. (Chuck) Theusch
Director/Chairman, Library of Cambodia Project