The Cambodian Village Fund is helping children stay in school. Less than half of the girls in rural Cambodia continue to middle school or high school after completing 6th gradel. Although there is no tuition for secondary
school, the costs of books, school uniforms and transportation are
beyond the budgets of many families. Tutoring and English lessons
provide another burden. In addition, parents often need girls to help
out at home with subsistence farming, child care and other
activities to help make ends meet. But with just a little financial help,
girls can complete high school and even continue on to college.
Girls are chosen based on their ability to succeed as well as financial
need. We monitor the girls to make sure they attend school regularly
and maintain good grades. The girls in the program at present are all in
the top 10% of their class and have almost perfect attendance. Our
hope is that these girls will go on to college and come back to the village
with special skills to bring about social and economic change. Already
they are serving as role models for other children.
Ginger Allen who administers Reach for the Sky
We will be sponsoring our first college student this year--SOVANN Chanthy. While helping a girl attend college is a bit more expensive, it has a significant payoff. Here's what VY Sovechea, our good friend in Cambodia, has to say. "We should help Chanthy and the other girls go to study at the University if they wish. They will be an example to the other girls in the village. When they finish their studies at the University, they can get suitable jobs for their careers. So every girl in the village will want to learn like them too. Moreover, it also changes the misconception of parents who always have bias toward their daughters. Do you know in Khmer society the sons are always prioritized over the daughters? We can start changing this perception step by step."
Sovechea, the monk who helps with Reach for the Sky and our
other programs
