Lotus Pedals - Help Cambodian Girls Get to School!

Bicycles play a vital role in breaking down barriers to education and empowering female students in Cambodia. Many of these girls live in rural areas with limited means of transportation. By providing access to safe, reliable transportation, bicycles enable girls to overcome distance, safety concerns, and socio-cultural barriers, ultimately improving their academic performance, confidence, and future prospects. Investment in bicycle distribution programs is essential to ensure that all girls have equal opportunities to access quality education and realize their full potential.

Owning a bicycle provides female students with a sense of independence and autonomy over their education. By overcoming transportation barriers, students gain greater control over their time and activities, empowering them to pursue their educational aspirations. Between January and February of 2024, Lotus Outreach Cambodia provided 77 bicycles to low-income students at Passerelles Numériques Cambodia, Bayon Pastry School, and Bayon Agroecology School, enabling them to commute between school, internships, community events, sports games, and daily activities more efficiently. 

Chhim's Story:

Chhim, one of the bike recipients at Bayon Pastry School in Seim Reap, told us about her journey and what this gift of a bicycle means to her:

I am the only child in my family who completed high school, and now I am studying bakery and pastry skills at Bayon Pastry School in Siem Reap and I use my bicycle every day to get to my classes. I’ve come very far in life despite many hardships, and it’s thanks to people believing in me and seeing that as a girl, I am capable of accomplishing my dreams.

My parents got divorced when I was in primary school, and my mother worked hard long hours in the sun to earn a small income of $2-$2.5/day to support our entire family of 6 members. Eventually, all of my older siblings had to drop out of primary school one by one to earn money to support the family. I also had to work on the weekends and on school breaks to help us survive. I worked hard, but I studied even harder until I was able to graduate Grade 12 and begin skill training with Bayon Pastry School. 

I am very excited that Lotus Outreach Cambodia provided this bicycle [to me]. It is very useful for me to be able to do so many things! I use it to commute to school (and always be on time), go to do internships, travel to English classes, go to the medical clinic, shop at the market, exercise, and roam around Siem Reap. I am VERY VERY grateful, and I promise to take good care of it!

I would like to profusely thank the [Lotus Pedals] program for intervening in my life to improve it, and for all the support and encouragement given to my family. Lotus Outreach’s support of me–and other girls in my community–has helped my family see the value of educating girls, and allowed me to chase my dream of a profession in baking and pastry making. 

I commit to continue to study hard to return your favor and to be able to support my own family in the future as well as to help develop my community and country!

Links:

• Lotus Outreach Website
• Instagram