Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

Great news for one of our students! 

As we had previously reported, the path to entering into a full time college program can be a challenging and  multi-step process. One key qualification is that students must pass the national high school examination to obtain  a high school diploma. It is estimated that about only about 65% of students pass the rigorous national exam on their first try ,  leaving many students to try again. Another challenge  is that the exam is held only once per year, which can mean putting life on hold  as students take time to study.

Our student, Ms.  S, age 22  had not passed the exam  last year and so she could not enter a bachelors degree program directly but instead would need  to enroll in a Associates Degree program. Upon completion of an AA degree, she would be allowed admission to a full bachelor degree program.

Over the past year, Ms. S has continued to study English and other courses at night in preparation to re-take the national exam and at the same time working full time at Champey Academy.

We are thrilled to report that Ms. S took her exam in August and she  has just learned that she   passed the national exam which  will allow her to enter college as a bachelor degree candidate.

We are very proud of our new graduate who has worked hard to achieve this milestone. Ms. S has grown up in Kasumisou Foundation programs and she  has , over these many years ,  always been cheerful ,positive showing  a wonderful " can do" attitude as she continues to conquer new challenges.   The steady and persistent support by our program of  Ms. S and our other students allows them the opportunity to work toward a much brighter future. 

Your generous  donations to our program offers these students the opportunity to break the cycle of inherited poverty and work toward building a new life.

We are deeply grateful to you for your support.

Barbara &  Mark Rosasco

Working hard to make  steady progress

            (See below at the end of this update for the  Donor Match Day)

Completing a higher  education goal is a long and  slow process and we know that our updates may sound repetitive as our students work steadily toward their goals.  During Mark’s last trip to  Cambodia at the end of  March,  he met with the students  currently in our program.

Dedicated students work steadily toward their  goals

Ms. P, age 23, continues her part time  studies in English in the evenings  and Saturdays,   while working full  time as the bookkeeper at our  Champey  Academy. Her long term goal is to become a professor of English language and literature. She is smart and serious minded and  she is quite determined to reach her goal. Her annual tuition cost is estimated at $ 875.

Vichet, age 24  continues to work full time  loading and now  driving  a delivery truck  6 days a week  from 7:30am to 5:00 pm, earning $ 180 per month.  Nearly all of his earnings  goes toward   food for himself, his grandmother and his 14 year old cousin .  At the same time, he is studying English in the evenings  from 5:30 to 7:00pm,   5 days per week  at Panasastra University in Phnom Penh. He is  working diligently to improve his English proficiency, a requirement to enter the university as a full time student later this year.

Ms.  S, age 21,  continues to  study  English  and other courses at night  while working toward an associates degree which can allow her to enter into a full bachelor degree program. Ms. S had not passed the grade 12 exam and consequently could not enter a degree program directly. However, having   an AA degree can suffice to allow for admission to a bachelor degree program.  In the meantime, she is still working  full time at Champey Academy

Another Ms. S ( #2) , age 19 had wanted to be a nurse, but the costs of tuition and other expenses were too high so she has instead  set her sights on trying to gain admission to the  prestigious Institute for Foreign Languages. To do so she must first pass a rigorous English language  examination which has a strong emphasis on grammar. Her preparation  includes 6 months of intensive study with tutoring to achieve readiness for the examination this November.  She is studying hard to prepare for the exam.  Ms. S has been with Kasumisou programs since she was a preschooler.

These young people  continue to work toward their dreams and to break the cycle of inherited poverty.  Your generous support makes it possible for our students to pursue their dreams. We are all deeply grateful to our generous donors for their kind support.  

Other news:

Globalgiving Donor Match day is July 18 ~ 9:00 am Eastern Time

Globalgiving will have $ 250,000 in matching funds available on Thursday July 18 from 9:00am. Donations of $ 100 to $1000 can receive a donor match as follows until matching funds are gone:

$100-$499  - matched at 15%

$500-$749 – matched at 30%

$750 - $1000 matched at 50%

Max donor match $ 500 per donor.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

Little by Little Bonus Campaign April 8~ 12 .   

Small donations can do big things ! 

You can earn a  60% bonus on your donation of $50 or less

Our students progress in their dreams little by little. 

Mark was in Cambodia the last week of March and at that time he met with the students currently in our program. Our program updates may sometimes sound repetitive,  because education can be a long process  and so it is for the students we are supporting in their efforts to secure a college degree and as they work slowly but surely toward achieving their dreams. 

Update on our students

Vichet, who last year had   finally passed his high school qualification exam, continues to work full time  loading trucks to support himself, his grandmother and a 14 year old cousin, all  while attending night  classes to study English  at Panasastra University in Phnom Penh. His  course of study is the foundation work needed  to gain the necessary english  proficiency that is needed  to enter university full time as a degree seeking student. He is still working toward his goal of  entry as a degree seeking  student for fall 2019.

Ms. P, age 23, continues her part time  studies in English in the evenings ,  while working full  time as the bookkeeper at our  Champey  Academy.

Ms.  S, now age 21,   studies English at night  while working full time at Champey Academy , hoping to gain the needed proficiency to be able to enter university to study toward her goal of  becoming  a professional tour guide. She will retake the grade 12 high school qualification exam in August. The exam is required for her to enter college as a regular student.  Without the exam credential, she would still be able to enter as a junior college student and upon  completion of an Associates Degree, she could then enter as a bachelor degree candidate.

Another Ms. S ( #2) , age 18 has set her sights on trying to gain admission to the Institute for Foreign Languages. To do so she must first pass a rigorous English language  examination which has a strong emphasis on grammar. Her preparation will include 6 months of intensive study with tutoring to achieve readiness for the examination this November.   Ms. S has been with Kasumisou programs since she was a preschooler.

As these young people  continue to work toward their dreams, your generous support makes it possible and on behalf of our students, we wish to convey our heartfelt thanks for your great kindness. 

Little x Little campaign 

We hope that you will consider the idea of making small donation, even just $ 10 will become $ 16 during the 4 day match period and each and every donation and matching dollar helps these students  further along.

With sincere thanks, 

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

Every January we report on our current students: 

Ms. R, about whom we had written before finished her degree and was able to secure a  $900 project grant from USAID and she  has now left our program. Although she still has dreams of graduate school, hopefully her grant project will be able to propel her forward in her chosen field of food science.

Vichet, who last year finally passed his high school qualification exam, continues to work full time  loading trucks , while studying English in night  classes at Panasastra University in Phnom Penh to gain the necessary  proficiency to enter university full time. His sites are set tentatively  for fall 2019.

Ms. P, age 23, continues her part time  studies in English  while working full  time as the bookkeeper at our  Champey  Academy . Opportunities for full time studies are slim as she does not have any  family that can   help her financially, making it difficult if not impossible for her to consider the idea of a full time course load.  

Ms.  S, age 20 studies English part time, while working full time at Champey Academy , hoping to gain the needed proficiency to be able to enter university to study to become a professional tour guide. 

These remaining  young people  continue to try to push ahead and achieve their dreams.   We are hesitant to take on any new students  due to the long standing challenge  of securing stable funding to support them in their efforts.  Despite this, we can look at the students that we have helped and and the ones we continue to help, knowing that this program, through your support, has made a remarkable difference in the lives of these young people.

We are deeply grateful to you for your generous support.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco 

It seems like yesterday….

Many of us have seen family  members, now young adults ,standing  at a milestone of achievement and we think “ it was only yesterday….” as images of a small child flash through our minds.

And so it is for one of the young people in our program.   Ms. R has grown up in our  Family  Support Program. She and her mother were among the very first  familes and  we have known Ms. R since she was about 4 years old. 

Ms. R has always set her sights high and she worked very hard at her studies. Always a top student, Ms. R completed  her high school course work and passed the difficult national examination ( last year approximately 35 % of exam takers did not pass).     Despite some  physical challenges, Ms. R biked miles to school each day and then continued to bike to university.  

Ms. R entered a four year program at the Royal University of Agriculture ( RUAH)  with a course of study in food science. Again, she worked to be highly ranked in her class of 38 students. As she neared completion of her coursework, Ms. R applied for and received a grant of $ 900 from USAID to cover the costs of the research and lab work that underlie her thesis which covers parasitez in plants.   Now in  the final stretch,  she is on track toward completion later this month or early November.    She remains focused on her dream to study abroad. In the meantime, she is currently looking for professional level jobs in Phnom Penh.   So far she has received one job offer but continues her search. Her dream  is to study food science at a Japanese University one day.

Ms. R, now age 22, is on the very cusp of success  and heading toward a professional lifestyle.  In short, she is ready to “ lift off”  into her new life.

For the past 18 years Ms. R has taken advantage of the educational opportunities  and economic  support that have been provided to her family  by Kasumisou Foundation. Her educational success is a wonderful  achievement for any person,  but particularly  remarkable for a disadvantaged young woman from Cambodia. According to a 2014 Unesco study it was estimated that  27% of students drop out of primary school, and while  49% % of all students have some secondary education fewer than 5% actually graduate. It was estimated that in 2014 there were about 260,000 new college graduates  , i.e fewer than1% of all students nationally who graduated from college.  

We congratulate Ms. R as she steps into a new life.

None of this would be possible without the longtime support of our generous donors. Truly, you have changed a life.

Barbara and Mark

Links:

• Kasumisou Foundation