University Education for Young Women in Cambodia

CATALYST not only offers assistance to ensure scholars have support to complete their tertiary studies, but also encourages these young women to take full advantage of their education by providing access to seminars and mentoring with an emphasis on leadership, professional development and self-development. Extracurricular opportunities and workshops position these young women to be voices and agents of change at home and in their communities. 

 Even as schools have remained closed due to Covid, students continue to have access to online trainings and other opportunities virtually. This year, scholars were given 30 training and volunteer opportunities. As a result, four students applied and were accepted to be volunteers with different organizations. For these students, it was an exciting opportunity to further personal interests in a supportive environment.

Manavy is a year-one student majoring in English Literature. She's been an active participant in several training/volunteer programs with Transparency International Cambodia and Youth Council of Cambodia. She shared this reflection on a month long program with a focus on democratic governance: "During this course, I had a chance to do group research with people from different provinces, so I've gained a lot of new experiences.” 

Sina, a third year student in Marketing who has always been interested in finding a way to help farmers improve their farming technique, has passed a competitive application to join an 8-month training Eco- Ambassador program. She is interested in the program because it gives her the opportunity to find ways to address social issues and to compete for a small grant funding environmentally conscious business ideas. Sina explains, "Garbage is one of the main issues in my community and in Siem Reap town. People just throw away trash everywhere and it pollutes the water and impacts the environment. I want to clean up and repurpose this trash. Making compost from leftover produce from the kitchen and turning bottles/cans into useful products is a start. 

With the opportunity to participate in such programs and the support to pursue extra curricular interests, scholars also make connections in various fields and improve their leadership skills. We are so impressed by these young women who are truly striving to be the change and create positive change in their societies.

Thank you for your support! Together we create sustainable change. 

Sreyreath is a second year student in Management at Build Bright University in Siem Reap Province. Her parents died of HIV/AIDS when she was small and she has been living with her grandmother who sells vegetables to pay for Sreyeath’s education. After high school, she left her house in Soth Nikum District (~46kms from Siem Reap Town) to stay at CATALYST's residential house in Siem Reap Town in order to pursue a university degree. 

Sreyeath was at high risk of dropping out as she grappled with dedicating time to her studies while also helping her grandma with business in order to get by financially. She said she often thought about leaving school and that from Grade 1 through 11 her grades were average, she fell sick often and had to miss school and was bullied for being an orphan. Finally, in Grade 12, Sreyeath heard about Lotus Outreach and the GATE program which would support her to finish high school, she was accepted for the scholarship and graduated. 

After graduating, Sreyeath had the opportunity to apply for the CATALYST scholarship. She applied and was accepted after a social audit conducted by field staff from our Lotus Outreach Cambodia (LOCAM) team. We wanted to share this reflection from Sreyeath after one year with CATALYST.

“Going to university is a good thing for anyone who wants to pursue their dreams. A university education was not a possibility for me due to my circumstances, until I applied for a scholarship through CATALYST. 

Since I've been attending university and in the CATALYST Scholarship Program, I am very happy and grateful for the donors who don’t ask for anything in return for their support. In this one year as a university student, I've changed my mindset, followed my dreams, learned to understand people around me, and grown close with my university friends and CATALYST fellows.  I am very proud to be a student and for all that I have learned this past year.  

Lotus Outreach has given me a valuable gift by exposing me to different things. Living in the city, I have attended workshops and classes and experienced nice hotels and modern foods. Through all of this, I learn about life. Life is a mixture of all tastes: bitter, happy, unhappy and sacrifice. Living away from my hometown in the city, I have gained a lot of life experiences and learned so much about myself and others. I hope that in the next two or three years I will gain even more knowledge to prepare me for life after school. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity!"

Thank you to our donors for supporting girls' access to higher education in Cambodia. We believe that when you empower a girl, you transform her community.