Ending trafficking before it begins in Cambodia

Warm greetings from Phnom Penh, Cambodia,

We have had an exceptionally busy past 3 months. At this time of year we had final exams, end of the school year and in the last couple of weeks our big scholarship presentation as well as our celebration of all those girls who graduated grades 9 and 12. This year we had 38 girls who passed their grade 9 high school national exams and 5 girls who all did very well in their exams and received their grade 12  Baccalaureate/Diploma of upper secondary.

We are so very proud of them all for their tenacity, determination and perseverance to succeed even though for many they live with daily challenges.  We have also provided our first University Scholarships to the 5 young women who just graduated their grade 12. Personally this is such a rewarding experience for me to witness as 2 of those girls were in our very first cohort of young girls when we established our girls’ education scholarship program back in 2013.

However, for some of the girls on our program, life's challenges are too much for them and they struggle not only with school but with their lives in general. Our scholarship program is so much more than just handing out books, uniforms, pens and bicycles; it takes commitment and perseverance from our social workers to work with the families and help them to discover their potential and options to create a better life. Sometimes they are dealing with violence, addictions, family separations, homelessness, and like all our families they live in chronic poverty in the urban poor communities (slums) of Phnom Penh. These environments are also filled with crime and a constant state of hopelessness. Our mission though is to ensure all girls are in school and have the necessary supports to stay there, our team will do whatever it takes for as long as it takes.

I want to share Seangley’s story with you to showcase how important and valuable your partnership with us is.

Seangly was enrolled on to our Education Scholarship Program in January 2013 at age 13 years and in grade 7. She has 2 younger brothers. Her father is a tuk tuk driver and her mother sells bottled water to tourists outside the Royal Palace. Their income is very small. At age 13 her responsibilities were to cook, do the housework, help care for her younger brothers – which meant missing out on class if one of them were sick, and attend school. She is very tiny and suffered a lot with headaches. Seangly expressed often her concern for her family living conditions – especially in the wet season when their little rented room would flood.

Throughout grade 7 and 8, Seangly managed quite well. She came to our community centre attending life skills and personal development workshops and her social worker began to build a relationship and trust with her family. She passed her grade 7 and 8 exams and was able to graduate to the next grade. In grade 9 however, it appeared that Seangly was not managing her school work and there were many family issues. Her social worker began meeting more regularly with her family and began providing family mediation. It became evident that Seangly’s mother was suffering from depression and she was referred to our Counselling Partner – Mekong Project for regular counselling. They were also enrolled on to our Rice Support Project. Seangly however could not catch up with her school lessons and was very unhappy. She decided she wanted to drop out of school.

However, her social worker didn’t give up! Not everyone can cope with mainstream school. Sometimes we have to look beyond the ‘normal’. Our Program Director researched options and developed a partnership with a new and innovative school (Academy of Careers & Tourism – ACT) which blends studying for their high school diploma through a career and technical line of education and internship. Seangly was taken to visit this school, sat an entrance exam and was accepted. She is now doing incredibly well and achieving more than she ever did at school. She recently rang her social worker and thanked her for finding this opportunity for her and that she finally felt very optimistic about her future now. Seangly’s mother also recently spoke with our Director thanking AusCam for their perseverance with the family, for counselling and monthly rice and importantly stated that their family bond and relationships are improving daily. Both mum and dad are also about to start a parenting program together through one of our partnerships.

Last week we received an email from ACT School director; “Overall Seangly is doing very well in school. Initially she said it was too difficult, however when you see her recent scores she is now performing above average. She comes to school joyful every day and works hard to participate. She is always polite and helpful”.

Seangly has gone from a young girl who felt hopeless, lacked confidence and direction for her future and potentially vulnerable to dropping out of school and in to exploitative work.. to now having the prospect of a bright and happy future. How wonderful this is!

We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a joyous Christmas with friends and loved ones and a healthy, happy and prosperous 2018. 

Thank you to all of you for your partnership with us as we continue to believe in the power of education to change lives.

Links:

• Travel with us to Phnom Penh!