Summary
Khmer Akphiwat Khmer Organization (KAKO), our partner in Cambodia, is a non-profit organisation that runs several projects aimed at improving education. This includes running preschools, scholarships and libraries that reach out to some of the poorest villages in Siem Reap Province.
In 2003 KAKO launched a scholarship programme for hard-working 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 that would have previously been harder – if not impossible – to qualify for.
In 2012 KAKO approached Philanthropy Connections (PCF) to support students selected for the scholarship programme. That same year we were able to begin finding sponsors for the students, and from sponsoring 8 students we are now supporting 53.
Background
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’ school fees, uniforms, and stationery. It also directly assists the family by providing them with rice as compensation for income lost from their children not working, as well as a bicycle for the beneficiary to cycle to school. The programme makes it possible for more children to finish primary and secondary school and qualify for higher paying jobs 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.
1. Ministry of Education (2015). Education Statistic and Indicators 2014 – 2015 [PDF], EMIS Office, Department of Planning, Phnom Penh, page 55.
Goals and Results
Since 2012 we have found sponsors to finance a total of ten scholarship students.
Students supported through PCF from 2015 to date
Students supported through PCF from 2012 to 2016:
Cheun Hean, supported from 2012 to 2016. Cheun Hean graduated in 2016 and then continued onto university! In 2016, she started studying accountancy on a university scholarship provided by PCF.
Dok Srei-ny, supported from 2012 to 2015. Srei-ny was the first KAKO scholarship student to successfully complete secondary school. In November 2015 she started a four-year course in finance and banking at the University of South East Asia in Siem Reap. Her college tuition is taken care of through another PCF scholarship programme. She dreams of having a job in microfinance to help people in her village to start businesses of their own and to open up her own business in the future.
Te Saveoun, supported from 2012 to 2014. Saveoun went up for her final examination of secondary school in 2014, but did not pass. Instead she started working as a cook assistant at a restaurant in Siem Reap. Saveoun’s studies, although unfinished, ultimately helped her get the restaurant job.
Pong Pea-Reas, supported from 2012 to 2013. Like Saveoun, Pea-Reas chose a different path before completing secondary school and instead studied to be a cook in Siem Reap. She completed the course in 2013, got married shortly thereafter, and now works at a hotel. In 2015 Pea-Reas gave birth to a healthy baby boy and is very happy.
Sponsors
What's Been Happening Recently
𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗘𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧
Meet Saing Sreika, a 16-year-old scholarship student in Cambodia who is currently in grade 12 at Puok high school. She would like to share about women's rights and express her gratitude to the sponsors.
"We should respect women as the mothers of the world, as they hold tremendous power in society across all countries. We strive for equality between women and men, which means they have the same opportunities as men in terms of employment and providing for their families.
Women have been engaged in a centuries-old struggle to achieve equal participation in society alongside men. Nowadays, women are fully active in society and enjoy equal rights, including freedom, equality, and justice. They have the right to participate in all activities and the right to stand for election or vote."
I would like to express my deep gratitude to the donor for your kindness in sponsoring my studies up until today. I would like to wish you and your family good health, strength forever, abundant prosperity, and success in your business endeavors. I am determined to give my best effort in studying, achieve excellent results at school, and become a valuable human resource for society.
A big thank you to Anthony Mann Mann (Tony) who sponsors Saing Sreika and many other students in memory of his beloved wife Nancy.
More information about this programme here : philanthropyconnections.org/project/60-scholarships
#scholarshipstudent #ScholarshipinCambodia #KAKO
𝟲𝟬 𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗕𝗢𝗗𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗦 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗚𝗢 𝗧𝗢 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟
In rural Cambodia, only 53% of school-aged children completed primary school in recent academic years, and of these, only 15% completed secondary education. Poverty is one of the main causes for low school attendance.
PCF has been supporting a scholarship programme for 60 primary and secondary school students since 2017. The programme provides the students with school uniforms, textbooks, stationery money for tutoring and bicycles. Each student receives a bicycle to ensure that they can attend classes, because for most students it is a long walk to school.
The family is often hesitant to send their children to school because they could help the family earn an income. A child at school means one less pair of hands working in the fields. So, the programme also provides eggs, fruit and rice to the students. This makes a huge difference in persuading the parents to send their children to school.
A big thank you to our generous sponsors Tony Mann and an anonymous sponsor.
More information about this programme : philanthropyconnections.org/project/60-scholarships
#kako #60scholarships
❤️💚
🚲🚲🚲
𝗕𝗜𝗖𝗬𝗖𝗟𝗘 + 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠 +𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 + 𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗘 = 𝟭 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗔𝗧 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗢𝗟
Meet Veoun Sreilik, a 17-year-old scholarship student in Cambodia who is currently in Grade 11 of high school. Not so long ago, she wrote a letter to us to share her daily life and study schedule.
“I study two subjects each day from Monday to Friday. On Monday, I study Khmer language and Geography. On Tuesday, I study Mathematics and History. On Wednesday, I study Physics and a subject related to the village. On Thursday, I study Chemistry and Morality. On Friday, I study Biology and a subject related to household. On Saturdays, I have self-study. I also have monthly examinations, and I perform well.”
I would also like to thank my sponsor and wish them happiness and good health."
PCF has been supporting a scholarship programme for 60 primary and secondary school students since 2017. The programme provides the students with school uniforms, textbooks, money for tutoring and bicycles. We also provide rice to the their families so the children are able to stay in school and not work on the farm.
A big thank you to Anthony Mann (Tony) who sponsors Veoun Sreilik and many other students in memory of his beloved wife Nancy.
More information about this programme here : philanthropyconnections.org/project/scholarships-for-cambodian-girls
#scholarshipstudent #ScholarshipinCambodia #KAKO
