"Back to School" for Children in Cambodia!

Dear Friends,

We cannot thank you enough for supporting the students at PIO. 2016 closed with a 94% pass rate! 93 students attended high school and four students attended University and these numbers have increased every year. Without the academic support these students had in their primary years at PIO, these accomplishments would not have been possible.

PIO focuses its work on children who cannot afford to attend public school and as a result, many are not at grade level. However, together, we are changing this and building their capacity. How do we know this is working? Apart from the above, we have been evaluating our programs on the following:

• Relevance: The standard of education in Cambodia is still low and PIO provides a quality alternative to public school education.
• Effectiveness: The pass rate is 80% for English and 92% for Khmer subjects. 98% of students were retained during the school year. 100% of Grade 6 at SMC graduated to high school.
• Efficiency: The cost per child is under a $1 per day for supplies, teachers and food.
• Impact: PIO continues to provide quality education to those most in need.
• Sustainability: Likely to always require financial support from donors. 

While the new year is underway and we're all making plans for the summer, your support is critical now more than ever. PIO just opened their third school and enrollment has incrased. They also celebrated their 15th Anniversary- that's 15 years of helping students and making a difference in their lives every single day of the year. All of this would not be possible without you.  

Meet Sai! 12 years old

Sai was born in 2005 in Svay Reang Province. He has 2 siblings (1 sister and 1 brother). Both of his parents died when he was young.

Sai was living with his grandmother near the garbage dump site in Phnom Penh. When his grandmother was going to work, he always stayed home alone. Everyday he waited for his grandmother to come back home to feed him. In March 2008, his grandmother brought him to PIO and signed an agreement for PIO to take care him because she was not able to take care of him or feed him. She was getting old and sick and could not go to work any more. PIO could not reject his grandmother's request, so they accepted Sai and he has stayed at PIO since he was 3 years old. He is very happy to have a safe place to stay, food to eat 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner), people to take care him, and the opportunity to go to PIO School. He is enjoying his life at PIO and in the future he wants to be a teacher.

Thank you again for helping children like Sai to get an education and dream about the possibilities of what they'll become!