University Education for Young Women in Cambodia

The CATALYST project aims to equip our female scholars with the necessary soft skills and knowledge to help them succeed academically, build strong relationships, prepare for future careers, and additionally, achieve financial stability and independence. On September 3 and 17, 2023, Lotus Outreach Cambodia invited Mrs. Pen Bopha to speak on  the topic of Financial Education for CATALYST scholars in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, a total of 61 scholars attended at these two locations. 

Mrs. Bopha graduated with a Doctoral degree in Education and she has 18 years of experience as a soft-skills trainer and motivational speaker, specializing in women and youth empowerment.  She has received many recognitions such as Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur prize in 2022 from the Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association (CWEA), Women in Financial Technology prize in 2022 from the Cambodia Association of Finance & Technology (CAFT), Gold medalist of Young Entrepreneur of Cambodia in 2022 from the Young Entrepreneurs Associations of Cambodia (YEAC), and is a National Leadership Ambassador in Cambodia. 

The objective of the workshop was to help scholars build a strong financial literacy foundation so that they may have the ability to make informed financial decisions and future plans for themselves. From our observation, we could see students enjoyed the workshop and were excited to learn about financial education, and the ways that they can begin to make small changes in their own lives, to achieve short and long term financial goals. The workshop was very active with group discussion, group presentation, sharing personal experiences about managing budget, and recreational games. 

Below are some of the reflections from our students: 

“From this workshop, I learned so much about how to divide my money. It also helped me gain a better understanding of financial management, planning my future, and the importance of saving money. The point that I will apply in my life is to spend according to my financial plans and be committed to saving money regularly.

I'm very happy to participate in this workshop, and I had been longing for the organization to teach us this topic. If I had taken this course in my first year of university, I would have had a clear understanding of finances and income management.” -Sreyneang (Year 4, Law, Build Bright University, Siem Reap)

"From this workshop, I learned three very important lessons. First, I now have a better understanding of how to save money and take care of my finances, which I did not think was important in the past, but after I learned about this topic, I now understand and know more about its importance. Second, I learned about how I can make plans for myself in order to start my own business and become successful at managing it. Lastly, it is important to control your spending habits and have a clear list of expenses to avoid overspending.

The most important point from this workshop that I will apply to my life is regarding how to make financial plans for my future. I will also take note of my daily expenses to see how much I spend in a day.” -Lisa (Year 4, Marketing, Build Bright University, Siem Reap)

"Before participating in this workshop, I felt very excited and nervous at the same time. I was so worried that I might not understand anything. However, during this workshop, I understood so much regarding financial management. I started to learn so much about finance and how I could improve my spending habits. It was such an interesting topic for me, and I followed through on every single detail in the lessons. I am very delighted to participate in this workshop. I hope that the organization will have more workshops like this in the future." -Sreypov (Year 3, Mathematics, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Phnom Penh) 

At CATALYST we support young women to achieve their goals and go on to lead empowered and successful lives. Thank you for supporting the CATALYST program.