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.