Help Give Cambodian Young Adults Independence

Working in a rapidly growing tourist destination in Cambodia we are very conscious of the
impact  (good and bad) tourism can have on our beneficiaries.

On World  Responsible Tourism Day (December 2012) at the World Travel Market in London, H.O.P.E Trustee Jo presented at the Speaker’s Corner highlighting how important good communication between
stakeholders in a tourist destination like Siem Reap is bringing together key
community benefits. This gave H.O.P.E an international stage, if only for ten
minutes, to highlight how tourism can really play a positive role in enhancing
the life chances for the young adults in out programmes.

In January, Jo was back on the ground doing just that - keeping up the communication
between H.O.P.E, project managers, young adults, tourism professionals and the
tourists themselves, ensuring the positive impacts of tourism outweigh any
negative ones.

January is traditionally a busy time for tourism in Siem Reap and this year was no
exception. As such, responsible tourists have made a significant difference for
many locals relying on the tourism dollar to take them and their families’ one
step further away from poverty.   

There are many great things happening and it was good being back on the ground in Cambodia, seeing the projects in action and listening to the stories of progress and change the individual young adults are
making.

We are pleased to report that the majority of young adults that we have previously spoken
about have successfully graduated from their respective young adults
programmes. We have some graduates already out in full time employment
supporting themselves and their younger siblings. We also have another group in
Phnom   Penh living independently or studying at some of the country’s best
universities and nursing colleges. Despite these successes, as with all development
projects involving this age group, there are disappointments too. Therefore, it
is our job and those of the project managers to take stock of the past few
years and learn from both mistakes and successes.

One of the young adult projects that HOPE support measures their work by sending out
questionnaires to graduates and from monitoring past students and they have
learnt that:

• 
  There is a notable difference in those students who graduated from Life Skills who got
  jobs and those who didn’t.
• 
  The knowledge gained in work experience including how people work in different
  environments and what to expect in job interviews improved confidence vastly in
  the job application and  interview process
• 
  Those graduated had a broader concept of what jobs entailed
• 
  There is more interest from females and there are currently 15 women enrolled in the
  class

Interestingly, it can also be ascertained through this measurement, that positive result doesn’t
just stem from monitoring employment successes, but health ones too. In general
it has been noted that young adults enrolled in the Life Skills classes have
had a better attendance rate in other classes due to less sickness which has
been put down to better knowledge in terms of hygiene, protection and improving
ones health.  This was evident during last year’s pandemic of Dengue Fever which reached critical highs and many students were absent from class. The Life Skills students were better informed and
therefore knew how to protect themselves and their families.

So far, there is no direct evidence that this knowledge is reaching the entire
community, but wouldn’t it be just great if we could have real tangible results
from supporting young adult education of improving health in a community with
something as simple as improving knowledge amongst the families?

It is only with the continual commitment of the project managers, the young adults and the
funds raised by H.O.P.E that these goals can be met and really start making a difference

Thank you for your ongoing support.

This latest update coincides with the very first International Day of the Girl Child (11^th October), to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world as adopted by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 66/170. 

And so in this report we will update you on a number of the young girls in our Young Adult Programmes,but first some astonishing facts based on the theme of this year’s Day “Child marriage”, which is a fundamental human rights violation and impacts all aspects of a girl’s life.

Globally, around one in three young women aged 20-24 years were first married before they reached age 18. One third of them entered into marriage before they turned 15. Child marriage results in early and unwanted pregnancies, posing life-threatening risks for girls. In developing countries, 90 per cent of births to adolescents aged 15-19 are to married girls, and pregnancy-related complications are the leading cause of death for girls in this age group.

Girls with low levels of schooling are more likely to be married early, and child marriage has been shown to virtually end a girl’s education. Conversely, girls with secondary schooling are up to six times less likely to marry as children, making education one of the best strategies for protecting girls and combating child marriage.

The 3 oldest girls in our programme live together in a shared house, since leavng the Sangkheum Centre some 2 years ago.  The programme has enabled them to make great progress towards independent living, with a major step being to complete their high school eduaction.   Perhaps not surprisingly they are all hoping to pursue careers helping others.  

Mol (19) is still in high school, but in her final year studying for grade 12.  She is interested in working for an NGO in the future.  While in the programme she has undertaken a work placement at a local hotel, Soria Moria, which helps her with her English and to build her confidence.  Mol has 2 younger sisters who still live at the Sangkheum Centre.  They are very proud of how well she is progressing and look up to her achievements.

Socheata  (19) has graduated from high school and is now applying to study in the teacher's training college in the Cambodia’s second largest city, Battambang.  This is very difficult to get into, so she is also considering a one or two year accountant training program in Siem Reap.  Her first choice for future career is to be a teacher but second choice is to work as an accountant at an NGO.

Pok (20) is now fulfilling her long held dream of becoming a nurse, completing her nursing training at the Military Training Centre in Siem Reap, and we are confident she will be employed in one of the many private clinics in Siem Reap in the new year.

There are many other young girls still living at Sangkheum Centre and they participated in the first annual Siem Reap event for International Day of the Girl Child at a local high school.  They performed two traditional dances and two girls spoke about why they think education is important.  It was an event organized by other local NGOs; This Life Cambodia and Women's Resource Center. 

Your support of H.O.P.E enables us to support girls like Mol, Socheata and Pok to fulfil their potential and grow into great role models for many other young Cambodian women.   

THANK YOU