By Sarah Reynolds | UK Country Manager
The new school year started in Cambodia in January 2021, delayed from November 2020 due to the need to provide some 'catch up' time after seven months of school closures. Children are happy to be back at school and adjusting to wearing masks and washing their hands more than ever before!
With the start of the new school year came the confirmation of the children who would participate in our Conditional Cash Payments (CCP) program this year. Our team has worked with schools and the local education authorities to identify 83 children from very low-income families who will receive our support this year. These children are at risk of dropping out of school to help earn money for their families because the financial situation is so dire. We provided the first part of a small payment to each family in January and will pay the second part of the payment in May, conditional on the child demonstrating at least 80% attendance at school between January and May.
The small grant of £48 is equivalent to more than one month’s income for most of the beneficiary families. Every family signs an agreement committing to send their child to school and supporting them to progress through the grades. This is read to parents and carers to ensure that even those with low literacy understand the agreement.
If children are absent from school for more than two consecutive days, the CCP Project team will call or visit the family and help work through any issues preventing school attendance. The dialogue we create with families and the regular support we offer sets us apart from other similar initiatives and the money enables families to prioritise education over work for their children and buy books, uniform and shoes so that they have everything they need to attend school with dignity.
The Covid-19 pandemic brought new challenges for these families. 75% of poor, rural households said their income had reduced by 50% due to Covid-19, making school attendance more difficult and exacerbating risks for the most vulnerable children, many of whom have been unable to access distance learning resources (UNICEF, 2020). We feel that this program is more important this year than ever before and we would like to thank you for your support.
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