Khmer Akphiwat Khmer Organization (KAKO), our partner in Cambodia is active in non-formal education and community development projects in the province of Siem Reap.

In 2003 KAKO launched a scholarship programme for primary and secondary school students ages 12 to 20 who came from underprivileged backgrounds. The scholarship would give these students the opportunity to complete their education and open the door to better-paying jobs and further education, that would have previously been harder – if not impossible – to qualify for.

We have been supporting a handful of students in KAKO’s scholarship programme since 2012. In 2016 we learned that over 100 students, who were previously supported by a different foundation, were no longer going to have their education supported. Now, thanks to our sponsor, Tony Mann, in remembrance of his late wife Nancy, we will be supporting 60 more students. The remaining 40 students are being sponsored by a Taiwanese philanthropist.

Poverty is one of the main reasons behind low school attendance. Families, especially in rural areas, have little incentive to keep their children in school when they can work in the field and earn an income. Girls in particular need to take care of household chores, watch over their siblings and support the head of the household. These factors often take priority, leaving some children unable to complete their education.

In rural areas only 53% of children ages six to 18 years old completed the 2014/2015 academic year; of these only 15% completed secondary school (1). Dropouts after primary school are also largely due to families being unable to afford school fees.

The KAKO scholarship takes the financial burden off of families by paying for students’ tuition, uniforms, and stationery. It also directly assists the family by providing them with rice as compensation for income lost from their children not working. The programme makes it possible for more children to finish primary and secondary school and qualify for higher paying jobs or further education in the future.

As an additional incentive, scholarship students and their families are also given priority in receiving a toilet built next to their house, which is part of an ongoing toilet sanitation project run by KAKO and PCF.