Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

Next steps? 

The students in  our " Build Dreams"   program have now  graduated. It is amazing to consider that together we have changed these students'  lives.  So the question becomes, what comes next? In fact,  we are evaluating our next steps. As was the case with all of our programs, the interruptions of COVID had a profound impact. Now as we consider our next steps, we are reminded that we currently have several students  attending  our arts classes at Champey who are still in high school and who show the determination to both stay in school and attend our classes. These students  are from families that would be  unable to even consider helping  with any possible  future tuition. We are now in the very early  stages of internal  discussion  about what might  be next for this program.

It is worth remembering  that in  the US,  nearly  everyone goes to high school and most students  graduate . In  2021 it  was estimated that between 5% and 8% US students dropped  out of  high school.

Similar to the  US, secondary school structure  in Cambodia is broken into 2 segments, lower secondary education which covers grades 7 ~ 9 and  upper secondary education which covers grades 10~ 12.  However,  in 2021, it was estimated by the World Bank that just 57.7% of students finished lower secondary school and of the remaining students, about 65.6% finished upper  secondary school. In plain numeric terms this means that of 100 students, only 58 finish the lower school and of the 58 students remaining,  65.6% or just  38 students will finish  upper secondary school. Of those 38 students, it is currently estimated that 72% or 28 students out of 100 students will pass the national exam for graduation.

Economics plays a big part in the success or failure of students’ ability to finish high school. Many students drop out to find work to help support their families.     And, of course, a high school diploma, which is only obtained after passing the national examination,  is a requirement for college.

We will keep you posted regarding our next steps with this program. A committment to help a college student is a multi-year committment and we must be certain that if we make that committment, we can see it through. 

Thank you for your kind support. Truly, you have changed the lives of our graduates.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco 

TWO NEW GRADUATES !

In late  2022 Ms. SR and Ms. S both completed their requirements for graduation with a Bachelor's degree.  Ms.. SR has a degree in English and Ms. S has completed a degree in  Inernational  Relations. Both  of these young women now have dreams of attending  graduate school 

These very accomplished young women have both had to  overcome significant   challenges in  their lives. Many of our other students,  in act,  have also ucceeded despite obstacles such as  extreme poverty, illness, loss of one or both  parents, physical  disability and more. Despite these challenges, the students in our program had set their "eyes on the prize" and continued, over the years to move forward, breaking through  every sterotype of  " disadvantage". Hard work, tenacity and sometime a bit of luck has enabled them to move forward toward  a life changing achievement of a college degree.

Cambodia, is ranked neart the bottom of ASEAN countries for higher education among its population.

According to various 2020  articles including materials from The World Bank,it is estimated that in Cambodia

• 93.5% of children enroll in elementary school  with an estimated  9% drop out rate
• 56 %   of children enroll in middle school with an estimated  20% drop out rate
• 25 %   of children enroll in high school with an etimated 12% drop out rate

It is estimated that there are approxixmately 45  colleges and college level schools  in Cambodia and an estimated annual enrollment that  totals  between 4,000 - 4,999 students.

Our  program, started in 2013 , has remained small .because  as a small foundation without an endowment or professional fund raisers on staff, we wanted to be  cautious not to begin something  long term, like a college program, unless we felt reasonably confident that we could sustain  the journey of our students toward completing their degree.

The credit for the hard work that has led to the many  achievements of our students , belongs,  of  course , to the students themselves. The debt of gratitude and our profound thanks  for the 494 individual donations that, over a 10 year period  raised a total of  $49,213.47 on GlobalGiving, goes to you, our generous donors.

Please join us in congratulating our two newest college graduates !

Barbara & Mark 

It is hard to believe that our final student is nearing the end of her studies.

As a very young child, Ms. S  had  lost a parent to AIDS  and throughout most of her  childhood, she had  received support through our AIDS Patients Family Support Program.    Now at  A24 years old, our Ms. S   is about to achieve her dream of a college degree. 

Always an eager and hard working student, Ms. S will complete her Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.  She plans to continue working part time at Champey Academy while pursuing her next big goal, a Master’s Degree.  Her dream is to work for an NGO or international organization in the field of education with a specific goal of helping disadvantaged Cambodian youngsters to complete their educations, where her own journey to success could show students some  tangible results of the value of education. Now , Ms. is in the  final class  of her program and she should complete this in the first quarter of 2023, just  a bit later than initially expected.

We are very proud of Ms. S and  we  are eager to see her achievements   as she moves forward. 

Ms. S's  accomplishment was made possible  by your generous  support. Your  faith in her  ability to succeed and your generosity has transformed  the life path  of  Ms. S.  and we are deeply grateful.

We hope that you will join with us on Tuesday, Nov 22 , Giving Tuesday at GlobalGiving, where donations will receive a proportional match from a pool of $1.2 million dollars. 

Wishing you a joyful Thanksgiving,

Mark & Barbara

It is  and has been a considerable challenge to report on the very slow moving process of completing an education. There is not a lot of excitement along the way, but rather the slow rhythm  of  making progress.

But, this summer we are celebrating!  Two truly exceptional young women in our Kasumisou Scholars/Build Dreams program will mark the successful completion of their undergraduate studies and will receive their Bachelor’s degrees from local universities in Phnom Penh. 

Both of these young women have been with us since they were toddlers.  One of them is now 26 years old and the other is now 23 years old.  Both of them lost a parent to AIDS and throughout most of their childhoods their families received support through our AIDS Patients Family Support Program.   

One of them will receive her degree in English language and literature and her dream is eventually to be a professor of English.  To achieve that dream she will need to complete graduate studies in English and get some experience as a teacher of English.  She currently works in the office at our Champey Academy of Arts school of traditional arts in Phnom Penh and, in addition to her regular office duties at our school, she volunteers in her spare time there to teach English to a few students and one of our dance teachers.  She plans to continue working full time at Champey Academy before eventually pursuing a Master’s degree in English.  The other woman, who also works in the office at Champey Academy, will complete her studies in August for a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations.  She plans to continue working part time at Champey Academy while pursuing her Master’s Degree.  Her dream is to work for an NGO or international organization in the field of education with a specific goal of helping disadvantaged Cambodian youngsters to complete their educations.  

We are very proud of the accomplishment of both of these young women and expect great things from them as they proceed further in their educations and their chosen career fields.

It has been the steadfast support of you, our generous donors who have made the transformation of these two young women possible. Your belief and generosity has forever changed their life path.

We are deeply grateful. On behalf of these young women, please accept our heart felt thanks.

Barbara & Mark

Please mark your calendar: Little by Little Donor Donor Match Campaign April 4-8 

In this update, we are so pleased and proud to say that three of our scholars are fast approaching the “ finish line” in pursuit of their goal of a college education.  Today we will spotlight two  of our three students who work full time at our dance and art school, Champey Academy, handling accounting, reporting and other administrative tasks.

Ms. S.P., now 26 years old,  has begun her final term of study in  her  fourth year of her Bachelor’s degree program in English language and she is on track to graduate in August

After graduation,  Ms. S. P. ,who currently works full time while at  Champey Academy, will begin to work  half time  as she seeks a job as an English teacher to gain teaching experience.  Her  near term goal is to be able to teach half time and work half time.  Ms.S.P. is  hoping to continue her education and work towards a Masters Degree.  During Covid, Ms. S.P, had, on her own initiative ,  begun to teach English to  some of the Champey students.

Ms.  SM., now 23 years old, is also in her fourth and final year of her Bachelor’s degree program for International Relations.   She now expects to complete the program of formal study in August , after which she will be required to complete a six month internship before receiving her degree. Ms. SM, too, is  hoping to pursue a Masters Degree in support of  her long term career goal, to work for an organization which supports education for disadvantaged children in Cambodia.

Our third student, Ms. SW is now 21 and she is  in the final year of her three year Associates program in nursing and she is on track to finish her program in November of this year, after which she hopes to eventually pursue a Bachelors degree in nursing abroad.

It is worth mentioning that these three   students have  managed to keep on track despite classes being switched back and forth from  remote learning during COVID, as well as unexpected  schedule changes and other challenges. With eyes on the prize, these three remarkable young women are shining examples of the impact that education can have in breaking the cycle of inherited poverty. These lives are being  forever changed  after receiving  the opportunity  to  explore and develop  their potential.

Despite the  personal tragedy and hardship that  each of these young women experienced during childhood, they  have remained in school, excelled in their studies and  they are now on the very edge of realizing their life long dream of achieving a college education and the ability to step into a new life.

Your support makes this possible.

None of this would have been possible without the support of  you, our generous donors, for which we are deeply  thankful. Not only did your donations help us to support these three young women during   perilous times of great hardship during their childhood, but your support now has  empowered  these three young women to break the cycle of inherited poverty by seeing the  possibility of a different world and working, bit by bit  towards their goals.

We hope you will join our celebration by participating in GlobalGivings Little by Little Campaign Apriol 4 - April 8 

GlobalGiving will host its “ Little by Little” matching fund event from  April 4 through April 8, offering a 50% match ( $25)  on donations up to $ 50 per each individual, unique donor.  We are hopeful that you will continue to support the efforts of Kasumisou Foundation in this or one of our other programs as a way of expressing your appreciation and celebrating  the achievements of these remarkable young women. 

We are deeply thankful!

Barbara & Mark Rosasco