Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in Rural Cambodia

Much of what Trailbalzer does, as a rural community development organization, is to help break the cycle of poverty. One way to do that is to ensure children have the ability to attend school. For students living in rural areas where Trailblazer works, attending school can often be a challenge.

Some students may live too far from the school in their area, and without a bicycle they might drop out. Trailblazer delivers bicycles throughout the year to address this issue. Also, the government requires that students wear an approved school uniform. A uniform can be costly for a poor family. Therefore, Trailblazer provides school uniforms to the poorest of poor students to help alleviate this burden for their families. A simple thing as a school uniform can help provide the ability for a student to go to school, thereby improving attendance and reducing dropout rates.

According to the United Nations, an educated girl is more likely able to plan when she marries, begins having children, and can better look after her health and that of her family. Nearly 12 million children could be spared from undernutrition if their mothers had received a secondary education. This makes Trailblazer’s efforts even more relevant and vital.

Trailblazer's goal each year is to provide a school uniform for a minimum of 300 students, which is an average student population identified as poor and in need of a uniform at the primary level. A uniform costs $15 USD. We wish to deeply thank all the donors who made this year's school uniform delivery a success.