New World is a television programme dedicated to improving childhood literacy, health and hygiene, and social development in Cambodia. It is totally in Khmer for Cambodian children.
New World was created by Resource Development International – Cambodia (RDIC) in its own Resource Studio where it is scripted, recorded, and produced in our fully equipped studio.
New World combines puppets, Cambodian actors, participating Cambodian children, songs, and computer animation targeting primarily children of pre-school and primary school age, but designed to entertain a wide audience including parents and teachers.
The New World Project is designed to address three core developmental needs in Cambodia:
An outline of a typical New World Episode can be found here.
Learn why a television show is a good approach – Why a Television Show? How will New World be distributed? Where can you see it? – Distribution and Dissemination
Where we are up to in producing and distributing New World to Cambodia’s children – Where are we up to?
How New World is Funded - Sponsorship and Funding
Production by RDIC - Resource Studio
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New World provides both children and parents with information and lesson on health and hygiene. Many Cambodian children suffer from preventable health problems such as dental decay, infected wounds, water-borne diseases (eg malaria, Dengue fever) and diarrheal disease. For example, according to the WHO (2000), 16.6% of deaths of children under age five in Cambodia are due to diarrheal disease.
New World incorporates lessons on personal health and hygiene to encourage awareness and practice by children and their parents from an early age. New World aims to reduce the occurrence of preventable diseases (eg dengue fever) - therefore mitigating both disease and early death among Cambodia’s.
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New World also addresses illiteracy, by introducing children to written Khmer. UNICEF reports (1996-2005) that only 66% of males and 65% of females in Cambodia regularly attend primary school.
Beginning with instruction on the Khmer alphabet, every New World episode teaches literacy through practice in spelling, pronunciation, and relating letters to everyday objects. Future episodes will teach children how to use numbers and shapes and to spell the names of animals, colours, etc. To reach Cambodian children, our staff has drawn on the tactics of such English-language shows, combined them with culturally-apt characters and ideas, featured a health and hygiene lesson, and created a television show entirely in the Cambodian language.
New World seeks to attain the second goal by teaching literacy through a variety of media in each episode. As demonstrated by both Sesame Street and Blues’ Clues in the United States, it is possible to teach literacy popularly to a young audience to great effect in future learning.
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New World will also contribute to the development of a basic social and ethical outlook that helps build functioning and productive communities. In line with similar programs in the US such as Sesame Street, the introduction of positive values from a young age aims to expose children to cooperative ways of living. Lessons about honesty, forgiveness, and respect are integrated into New World episodes. |
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There are no other national television programs that seek directly to improve child health and literacy and very little programming targeted for children in Cambodia.
Despite widespread poverty, an increasing number of Cambodian families have television in their homes and can gain access to national programming. Even in areas that lack electricity, television sets are given priority and are often powered by car batteries. In 2004, 46% of households owned a television set (National Institute of Statistics - Cambodia, 2004).
Currently, public education curriculum in Cambodia does not include health and hygiene education. Thus, the potential for New World to reach and influence Cambodians with new skills is high. A short and regular television show provides a new medium into the class room to introduce new lessons, re-emphasise existing messages, and support teachers. |
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RDIC has a two pronged distribution and dissemination program:
- Firstly, New World is aired on one of Cambodia’s biggest free to air television stations, CTN.
It is currently (mid 2008) aired:
Saturdays 8:00 – 8:30 am
Thursdays 4.30 – 5.00pm.
It is also aired by CTN International in the USA and Australia.
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RDIC is also developing a schools programme, allowing New World to reach primary schools in Cambodia. These schools usually lack electricity. RDIC’s portable rechargeable television and MP3 player has the ability to air the show to up to 25 students at a time (or up to 50 students in Phnom Penh – where power is available and a projector can be used). RDIC is also developing activity books for use in schools to reinforce the lessons of the show.
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RDIC has already produced 1 season (13 episodes) of New World and has commenced production of a second series of 13 episodes. Season 1 is currently being aired nationally on free to air television, as well as internationally. |
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Program design and production of Season 2 requires research, scripting, directing, filming, recording, editing, and trailing. As you can imagine, it is a big process but.....RDIC has an experienced and professional staff which produces a number of other educational videos, songs and soundtracks for both RDIC’s development work and on contract for other organisations.
RDIC’s studio is equipped with computers, cameras, props, sets, and puppets. RDIC uses in house expertise for design, scripting, set construction, filming, editing and recording.
RDIC has produced Season 1 of New World in its own studio in Kean Svay.
We are currently constructing a full size filming studio. |
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| RDIC is very glad for support from Give2Asia which makes the production and distribution of New World possible. |
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