By Emma Roebuck | Education and Fundraising Officer
We’re really pleased to report that the University Fund micro-project almost reached its full target. This means that we will be able to fund both Chhaya and Sopheak (not their real names) through their four year University Education programme, here in Phnom Penh, to study Accountancy and Management respectively. This is a really important step in helping them gain their independence and achieve their full potential. It also creates an opportunity for them to become more financially secure in the future.
They will be the first two girls from the Safe Shelter to go on from High School and access a University Education. This will hopefully pave the way for the other girls to follow, if they should wish. The younger girls in the Shelter already look up to Chhaya and Sopheak and will have lots of questions for them when they start University at the beginning of October.
Both young women are in the process of sitting their final High School Diploma exams. Their teachers describe them as bright and talented girls, who are committed to their education. They are both predicted to pass their high school diplomas; they sit their final exams in early August. Chhaya is currently doing a lot of English revision and Sopheak is focusing on her Khmer lessons.
Speaking about their hopes for the future Chhaya thinks an accountancy degree will secure her a good position in a well-established bank. She would like to move out of the city when she finishes her degree and work in a bank in her home province, so that she can be closer to her family.
When Chayya was asked how she feels about going to University, she responded, “It’s fantastic, I feel very happy, but also a bit nervous too. My family are poor and could not afford to pay for University, so I feel very lucky”.
Sopheak has already secured a part-time job to run alongside her university studies with a global NGO that teaches skateboarding skills to community groups. Sopheak is excellent at sports and excels at yoga, swimming and skateboarding. With a management degree she may be able to combine both of these skill sets. CWDA, through our on-site counselor and our vocational educational teachers, will be supporting both girls with their career decisions and any study pressures that arise as they progress through University.
CWDA, especially Chayya and Sopheak, want to thank you for all your support. The university education that you have contributed to will give these bright, ambitious young women a real opportunity to fulfill their potential. Their university education will be something they will have for their rest of their lives.
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