Education for 300 Urban Poor Children

“…From Struggles to Academic Success with Support and Perseverance”

A quote from a twelve years old girl in Kdampuk community

LyLy was born on June 9th, 2013, in Kdampuk Village, Sena Reach Otdam Commune, Preah Sdach District. She is now 12 years old and currently studying in the 6th grade at Kamrieng School. She lives with her grandmother and has one sister, Lyka. She is the first child in the family. Her family does not yet own a house; they live in a small, old house belonging to her grandmother, with six members. Her parents moved to work as construction workers in Preah Sihanouk Province.

On September 18th, 2025, LyLy shared the challenges she faced in her studies. A few years ago, she was a young primary school girl struggling with learning. At the beginning, studying was difficult for her. She often felt nervous when teachers asked questions in class and sometimes failed to complete her homework on time. Her score was low, which affected her confidence. she believed that she was not smart enough and often compared herself to classmates who performed better. At home, she spent more time playing than studying and rarely asked for help when she didn’t understand lessons.

However, things began to change when her parents, grandmother, and teachers noticed her struggles. Her mother encouraged her, saying, “Every child can learn well if they try. You just need to practice step by step.” With this gentle guidance, her parents set a daily routine: one hour of reading, half an hour of writing, and regular reviews of mathematics. At school, her teacher gave her special attention and explained difficult lessons in simpler ways. At first, LyLy found it hard to follow this new routine. She was not used to studying regularly and sometimes became frustrated. But over time, she began to see small improvements. She started to understand multiplication, learned to write short essays, and could answer more questions in class. These small successes boosted her confidence. Her classmates noticed her efforts and began to support her, including her in group activities and encouraging her to share her ideas. Slowly, LyLy stopped being shy and began to enjoy learning. Reading story books became her favorite activity, and she often shared what she had learned with friends.

In April 2024, her family was selected to participate in the school development program. This program provided LyLy with books, pens, pencils, and rulers each academic year. It also supported her family with food packages, including rice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and milk. These supports encouraged LyLy and improved both her study habits and her living conditions.

The program staff also conducted home visits, where they encouraged LyLy to study hard at school and home. They shared knowledge on children’s rights, participation, child safeguarding, and hygiene. Her mother expressed her gratitude, saying, “…I am very proud of my daughter because she enjoys school and gets excellence result from her study with rank 1^st in the class. I would like to thank the Sunshine Cambodia Organization and all the staff, especially the donors who have supported my family and children...” LyLy also shared, smiling, “…I am very happy that my parents, grandmother, and teachers always encourage me, especially the Sunshine Cambodia Organization staff. They told me how important it is to study for my future…”

By the end of primary school, LyLy had transformed completely. The girl who once struggled with low grades had become one of the most hard-working and motivated students in her class. She achieved excellent results, ranking 1^st among 32 students in her exams, and her teachers praised her determination. More importantly, she realized that academic success comes not only from talent but also from effort, discipline, and persistence.

Finally, she added, “…I really thank the Sunshine Cambodia Organization and all the staff, especially the donors who have supported my family and me. I am very happy and determined to study hard both at school and at home to achieve my dream of becoming a police officer in the future...”