Give Phnong Children the Gift of Education

We are humbled yet again by the tremendous energy and compassion our wonderful supporters brought to our first major campaign of 2012.  Our goal was an ambitious one: we needed to raise at least $7,000 in a 24-hour period in order to get the most out of two generous donor matches: 100% from a private donor and an additional 50% from GlobalGiving as a part of their second annual bonus day.

We are delighted to share that you not only pulled through, but you exceeded our expectations!  We raised a total of $7,928 from our supporters, as well as $7,000 from our private donor (who has already delivered on the pledge) and $1,394 from GlobalGiving’s matching fund.  Every penny of the $16,322 raised on June 13 will directly support students in the Phnong Education Iniative (PEI) scholarship program in Mondulkiri, Cambodia.

PEI provides dozens of minority students in Cambodia with scholarship and housing assistance so they won't be forced to drop out of school due to poverty and distance to the nearest schoolhouse. Furthermore, PEI supports training for Phnong-speaking teachers so they can return to their home villages and pay forward the gift of education by helping other linguistic minorities succeed in the public school system.  Each year, PEI provides 31 children and 20 teacher trainees with basic scholarship packages - including food, housing, books, school supplies and transportation - to ensure they can excel in their studies. Investing in the education of these promising young women will not only improve their individual circumstances, but will ripple throughout their communities and future generations. PEI is further designed to "pay forward" the gift of education by investing in the educators of tomorrow.

Thank you again for your tireless support of Lotus Outreach.  To learn more about PEI or make an additional donation, please visit http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/pei/.