By Amber Warren | Programs Manager
Dear Friends,
Happy Fall! As the school year here is underway, the school year in Cambodia is beginning again. Grade 6 and 9 students at PIO recently took their public examinations over the summer and scored incredibly well. 92% of the 6th Grade students and 96% of the 9th Grade students passed their tests! Enrollment has remained steady and all students have access to the nutrition program, receive medical care when they need, and have the school supplies they need. Students also had the opportunity to participate in an English speaking contest, online math competition and financial literacy classes. Additionally, 20 students visited the US Embassy to learn about the scholarship programs available.
Last week, our new Executive Director returned from Cambodia after visiting PIO for the first time- meeting the staff and students at school, visiting with families at their homes, and working with Jasmin Socal Investments on an in-depth evaluation of PIO. This is proving to be an excellent opportunity for JustWorld to work with and learn from another great supporter and to help PIO with its long-term strategy.
Cambodia is a country where real poverty exists, and this poverty is so critical that people who don’t get out onto the street and work in some way will truly die of starvation. People everywhere go out and work in the tropical heat for 24 cents an hour, just so they can try to feed themselves and their families. They live in places without running water and instead shower in the monsoon rains. It is in those rains where they also wash their clothes.
During the genocide of the Khmer Rouge regime (1975-1978), teachers and other educated people were killed (more than 2 million in total), schools were destroyed and books were burned. According to the records of the Ministry of Education, 75% of teachers, 96% of tertiary students, and 67% of all elementary and secondary students died during the Khmer Rouge era and 90% of the schools were demolished. An entire generation was lost. This has resulted in countless obstacles to the point where it challenges Cambodia’s aptitude to provide quality education for students.
JustWorld serves a very important role in the lives of more than 650 students in Cambodia, but that number is multiplied tenfold as our Director learned. Our Director heard in interviews with parents, that she conducted in the homes of some of the students we support, that if it weren’t for PIO and JustWorld they would fear their children would be kidnapped because they would be left home alone while the widowed mother worked in a factory. A student told her that it wasn’t until age 12 when she enrolled at PIO that she received her first pair of shoes. A mother shared that she cannot read or write and, as tears rolled down her face, how happy she was that her children are learning math and English and that they have a chance at a life far greater than hers. A father, who lost his legs to a landmine, told her that the rice his son receives from JustWorld is the only food they have every night. They save it to only eat a dinner because his son receives hot meals at PIO during the day. These are only a handful of the stories she was told. These are only a handful of the people we are helping in Cambodia.
There is no doubt that your generosity has made an impact in the lives of these children and their families. The obstacles the country, its education system, and these individuals face are alleviated by your support and in turn opening up opportunities they didn't have before. Thank you. You are part of the change in their lives! We hope you will share this with others and continue being part of this journey.
By Amber Warren | Programs Manager
By Amber Warren | Programs Manager
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