Passport to the future for Cambodian Children

As per UNICEF Cambodia, Children in Cambodia are still failing to reach learning standards. There are 25 percent of Cambodian students at the primary level cannot write and there is only 27 percent of 3 years old to 5 years old are able to read and count the number. Eventually, 55 percent of the total amount of adolescents at 17 years old have dropped out of school.

The Education program sector of Good Neighbors Cambodia has had a widespread impact on 6 CDPs on many sides including human rights, health, child protection, human well-being, education, and life skills. It also gives a footprint on the Community people. The process to make a remoted Cambodia without destruction is one of our main intentions in the first quarter of 2023.

After a detailed examination of the need and want of villagers in rural areas with the official meeting for discussion with local development committees. We found that the residents in CDPs especially children would live a better life and have a better future when they acquire access to good education systems. The development team, therefore, conducted a cause-and-effect analysis to produce evidence for expanding educational programs in the subject areas. We concluded that wider provision would generate such savings that there would be no extra educational burden in our CDPs.

Our Intervention

To pursue happiness and well-being as public policy goals, it was clear that the community people require full set support, improved motivation, and adequate information to develop acceptable as well as affordable solutions for complication caused by lack of education.

We conducted field visits to introduce the programs, to improve awareness of education and passion for schooling. Good Neighbors Cambodia not only conducts big infrastructure projects such as school building and library construction but also supports on supplementary studies such as a warm and healthy environment to study, learning material to attend school, and any other needs to make the child grow happily. Furthermore, we have a scholarship program to help young people in any form of education including tuition fees, development programs, female education, and need-based schooling. We allocated our mentioned assistance to scholars in various school levels: kindergartens, primary schools, and high schools. The committees found that the program had long‑lasting effects on Cambodia’s education system, so now we are traveling to apply them in community development programs from place to place proactively.

 

Major Achievements
It was an enjoyable experience, and the process was finished considerably as project plans. GNC, donors, and partners have accomplished good change for Cambodian children. Without any doubt communities’ children now have comfortable back to count on supposing to have bright future. The most significant outcome of the GNC education section during the first quarter of 2023 is the educational sponsorship initiative at Koh Nheaek Community Development program. We conducted educational training with local people and there are 340 people from 7 villages participating in our project. The parents, who have not sent their children to school before, decided to create a good change with us with an understanding of the importance of education for the future. We are touched by that, and we work harder to see that kind of change in more parents in many other villages. Until March 2023, people opened their heart to education and NGC’s program is expanded also is being conducted routinely in schools across the whole district. We are eager to watch Koh Nheaek CDPs children’s future successes.

1.Good Scholarship Project
Because it is not only about having less motivation to study but also the additional costs that prevent children from impoverished families from getting an education, GNC created a sponsorship program to support them continuously. We announced and recruited 35 students to be our scholarship students that will obtain regular support and welfare. Selected students received financial and technical underpins monthly such as the allowance for transportation, academic assistance, and daily expenses that they needed to succeed in their educational path periodically until they completed school. Moreover, During the first quarter we also have parental meetings and field visits every so often to introduce our support program and improve awareness of education​ to children’s guardian.

2.Extra Classes Support

Students in rural and remote areas are constrained by minimal time in a formal class. To ensure that children and teenagers in our CDPs have a qualified education we added extra courses that provide them an opportunity for extra practice and lesson revision. In addition to class main majors such as Mathematics, Khmer literature,​ and English language, GNC anticipated registered students with general knowledge, computer and daycare classes. In March 2023 we have productive health promotion education for girls in grade 6 to understand the definition of adolescents, changing physical and feelings, and menstruation and hygiene. Our participants (104 female Students) from 2 primary schools in Khan Dangkao gain an understanding and awareness of the change that will happen shortly their age. We expected that besides the recognition of youthful variation, this program distributed knowledge of other risks such as high-risk behaviors, risk of unwanted pregnancies, and risk from harmful practices.

3.Motivational Support

Motivational Support means providing appropriate cognitive as well as affective encouragement just-in-time. This helps to effectively start and then maintain students’ motivation to study and perform. And with support from GIZ, we delivered material and facilities that can protect and prevent children from health issue to 62 pre-schools in 6 districts: Ou Chrov in Banteay Meanchey, Thmar Kol and Ek Phnom in Battambang, Snuol in Kratie, Koh Nhaek in Mondulkiri, and Dangkor in Phnom Penh. This has an indirect positive effect on children and the whole education system because good health leads to good education.

Case Story   

Chim Ratha, 17-year-old, studies in grade 9 “A”. She lives in Toul village, Or Boun Leu commune, Koah Nheaek district, Mondulkiri province. She is scholarship student of Good Scholarship for Indigenous Student program of Good Neighbors Cambodia in school year 2021-2022

CHIM Ratha’s family is constrained by economic difficulty that makes her parents live separately from their children to earn and support the family. They are working as casual laborers at banana planting in Lumphat district, Ratanakiri province. Ratha never gives up on studying even though she must face this kind of issue. She decides to stay at Soksan secondary school dormitory when her parents are away for duties.

It was lucky that Good Neighbors Cambodia has a scholarship program for students in grade 9 and Ratha registered and was selected as a scholarship student among 15 students that receive support on transportation, extra-class, and study materials from GNC regularly. After becoming a scholarship student, she improved her knowledge and has good results on her final exam, a good school grade (grade B).

Presently, Ratha is an outstanding student in the scholarship program. She said “I am grateful to Good Neighbors Cambodia that has selected me to join the scholarship program. However, I think my study has improved through strong support from the sponsor. This is real support and motivates me to study hard, and regularly attend. I will work harder to achieve my future dream. With a smile and strong hope, Ratha said” I will study harder at high school to get a good result and continue to study at university”. Finally, she said, “I am thankful to the sponsor that provides scholarship opportunities for students in grade 9 like me too. I hope this project will stand for a long time in my community to ensure that vulnerable students in hardship areas receive the opportunity to continue their studies at the upper level. Now the student is studying in grade 10 “A” at Hun Sen Koah Nheaek high school.

Quote   
“Together with our partners and supporters, we have helped Cambodian children and youth improve their literacy skills and basic knowledge beneficial to improve their lives and the future of the household”.