Dear Friends, Donors, and Supporters over the years,
I have just returned from a visit to Cambodia. It was wonderful to catch up again with our current university students and our university graduates. We now have 27 young men and women who have graduated across law, finance, teaching, midwifery, IT, nursing and engineering. And we have a large group of students in varying stages of their degrees.
We are so very proud of their achievements, particularly because they have come from impoverished backgrounds and have had to overcome so many challenges. They are really appreciative of the opportunity they are given, and we are hugely appreciative of your support and interest which makes this very successful project possible.
Our focus on tertiary education now is in response to the widely held recognition that Cambodia’s healthy economic and social development depends on developing a professional middle class – teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, administrators, etc. The effects of the Pol Pot genocide of the educated middle class and the ensuing war in Cambodia is taking generations to overcome.
If you would like to support our program during this next financial year, you would be helping to enable more of these bright and committed young people to access opportunities they would not otherwise have – opportunities to realise their goals and ambitions, and to contribute to their communities and to the future development of their country.
Siem Reap Program
Our Centre/Home in Siem Reap plays such an important part in the lives of our young people. It is so heartening to see that our graduates still come ‘home’ when they have time off – to catch up with friends, get a good feed, and play football on Saturday nights!
Our students come from a background of small rural village life and arriving in the big city can be daunting and challenging. We recognise that they need a lot of support in the first couple of years of study, and we are providing that support through a program of extra curricular activities and mentoring.
Extra curricular activities include life skills workshops, leadership training, extra English coaching, and the household management program at our Centre where students learn to shop, cook, handle a weekly budget, etc.
There are two really important initiatives that we introduced at the beginning of our tertiary scholarship project –
University degrees are four years long and students attend only half of each day so we arrange for them to take part time jobs after their first two years. We try to ensure that the jobs are in the area they are studying, e.g. teacher’s aid, social work assistant, etc. The students gain so much from ‘real’ work, learning skills such as communication, teamwork, time management and money management. It is also a great way to improve their English, and they develop confidence. They may also be able to start sending a little money back to their struggling families.
The second program we provide is extra coaching in English throughout their studies. This is important as good spoken English helps ensure a better job and better pay, and this has certainly paid off for our graduates.
Our Manager, Youchheng, does a wonderful job of guiding our students through their daily lives and their university courses. He is a great mentor, and is also very effective in helping them find part time jobs while they are studying and full time jobs when they graduate.
It is an absolute joy when I visit to share these young people’s stories – their joys, their many challenges, and their triumphs. They are an inspiration. Read on for a few of their stories.
My thanks and very best wishes.
Carolyn Fletcher AM
Founder and Director
Our Students and Graduates
Phan’s parents are subsistence rice farmers. His older brother had to drop out of school to provide labour on the farm. It seemed Phan would have to follow.
His situation was brought to our attention and, after discussion with his parents, we arranged for him to enter our school education program. This meant he was fully supported to complete his schooling. Phan was a hard worker, did very well in the National exam, and told us that he really wanted to go to university to study Law.
He gained a place in our tertiary education program and was fully supported to study Law at the University. It is a long, hard course, but Phan’s determination to realise his dream meant that he graduated with a degree in Law.
With the help of Opportunity Cambodia and his sponsor, Phan gained employment as an intern with the Child Protection Unit in Phnom Penh. He has since gone on to join the staff full-time, working with Cambodian authorities to protect children and bring child abusers to justice.
This is a heartwarming and inspiring story of a boy who came from a very poor rural family, and dedicated himself to realising his ambition to make an important contribution to his community and his country.
Cambodia sorely needs many more young people like Phan who have the tertiary qualifications and skills to take a lead in addressing the many challenges facing Cambodia today. And very importantly, to provide much needed role models for the younger generation.
Seng Heav is the eldest of four siblings and grew up in rural Cambodia.
Her family are impoverished rural workers and her home environment was marked by domestic violence and her father’s alcoholism – problems common in many rural communities. Due to pressure from her family Seng Heav had to drop out of school at the end of primary school. She was back home helping to care for younger siblings and working in the fields when her situation came to our attention.
She received a second chance when we accepted her into our educational program in the local commune. Committed, and working really hard, she progressed to the end of Grade 9. She was keen to continue her studies and transitioned to our Centre in Siem Reap where she went to high school. She passed the National Exam at the end of high school but once again her family, who were in dire straits financially, pressured her to return home. She was determined not to give up on her dreams and with our support (and some help for her family) she entered university where she did a degree in Finance and Banking.
She showed remarkable resilience, discipline and commitment and managed to balance study and part time employment through her university years. She graduated last year.
Seng Heav is now working in an NGO education project. Her role allows her to give back to the community and contribute to improving educational access for others, who like her, face daunting challenges in life.
Seng Heav’s story is one of personal triumph over adversity, and an achievement that very few girls from her rural background attain in Cambodia – a real symbol of hope for so many young women in similar situations.
Sokhim is one of five siblings in an extremely impoverished family. Both of her parents died in recent years and the children have been in the care of their grandmother. Grandmother, despite being elderly and frail, has tried to support the family by biking around the village selling Khmer cakes.
Sokhim was determined to continue her education and biked a long distance to school each day. Through sheer determination and perseverance she passed the National exam at the end of high school. But there was no prospect of her being able to go to university to achieve her dream and passion to be a midwife.
However, several years ago we were able to provide a scholarship for Sokhim to go to university. She has worked with absolute commitment and discipline, including taking a part time job so she can care for her grandmother.
Sokhim will graduate with a degree in midwifery at the end of this year. Her dream is to work in a government hospital to provide safe and high-quality care during childbirth. She also wants to support her two younger brothers, who had to drop out of school, to continue their education.
Sokhim is a shining example of resilience and determination. She stands as a role model for other young women in Cambodia who face similar struggles.
Supporting Opportunity Cambodia
What can you do?
We would be delighted if you wished to support our work. Donations go directly to fund our full tertiary scholarships. Private funds cover the costs of administration and marketing.
- All donations are tax deductible in Australia
- You will receive a tax receipt
You can make a general one-off donation, or sponsor a student on a regular basis.
Thank you for your generous support!