Lotus Pedals - Help Cambodian Girls Get to School!

Thang is a first year student studying Business Management at Build Bright University in Phnom Penh with the support of our CATALYST program. She is the sixth child in a family of 7 children and the only child who is fortunate enough to have come this far in her education. Her siblings either have no education at all or have reached the 2nd or 3rd grade at most.

Their family struggled financially throughout her entire life. Her mother grew vegetables on a small scale and Thang helped make a living by selling vegetables on the street since the time she was in 2nd grade. From grades 1 to grade 9 she walked 3 kms to school every day. Thang said " It was very difficult having no means of transportation to get to school; sometimes I wanted to drop out, but because I love studying, I was willing to walk to school."

Her family couldn't afford a bicycle because they were poor and in debt. Due to the economic hardship and having to walk a long distance to school, Thang did not do well academically. She told us, "I got very poor grades because I did not study hard, I only thought of earning money to help my mother. I thought of dropping out again when I was in grade 10 and 11 because my mother was very sick and our debt grew bigger. But my mother would not let me do so and encouraged me to stay in school regardless of how poor we became." 

Because of her mother, Thang committed to finishing high school. Finally in grade 12, the last year of high school, she qualified for scholarship support from LO in partnership with Cambodian Women's Crisis Center. With this support, Thang became more motivated. She said, "After receiving the scholarship, my family and I were very happy. The program provided me with materials for study, money for tuition classes, mental support, and good experiences. It made a difference in my study. I got good grades and successfully passed the grade 12 high school exam!" 

Unfortunately, Thang’s mother died in 2020 while Thang was pursuing her Bachelor Degree with support from Lotus Outreach's CATALYST Project. Her father is unable to work but Thang was committed to her own success as a way to help her family. In February 2021, Thang received a bicycle through Lotus Pedals to travel to her university which is 6 km from CATALYST's residential home. In March 2021, she got a job as a baker with a decent monthly salary. She is very grateful for having received the bicycle which allows her to  commute as needed to classes and work. "The bicycle is very useful for me. It takes me to school and also to work, to the market and places that I want to go. It has given me the freedom of mobility and serves as a bridge to a better future.", said Thang. "I would not be able to afford it by myself because my salary is to support my father back home who is old and cannot work and my widowed sister as well as to pay back our debt. If I didn't get the support from Lotus Outreach, I would have been doing labor work in Thailand now.Thank you so much for helping make my dreams come true. I am committed to study hard and I will not let you down," Thang expressed her gratitude.    

Thank you so much for your ongoing support to help many girls like Thang realize their dreams. Programs like Lotus Pedals address the multi layered causes of poverty that prevent girls like Thang from getting an education. With cross cutting programs and a strong system of support, we at LO hope to break the cycle of poverty from the ground up. 

The new academic year in Cambodia finally kicked off on January 11th, 2021 after being interrupted by COVID-19 since mid-March 2020. The effects of COVID-19 have been felt at every level, from interruptions in travel, trade and investment as well as day to day happenings. The pandemic has had a particularly devastating effect on low income families whose financial hardship has been only exacerbated even as prices for goods increase. This makes our mission to ensure that girls have a way to get to school even more crucial. 

We often say: educate a girl, transform her community. By giving a girl a bicycle, we ensure she reaches school safely so that she may gain the skills she needs to succeed. When she succeeds, so too does her family and community. We see this first hand every day, and are astounded at the determination of these girls when they are given the tools they need to reach their full potential. 

Since the start of the new academic year, Lotus Pedals has gifted 82 bicycles to female students in Phnom Penh Capital and Siem Reap Province. Votey is one of the recipients. She is in 7th grade at the Hun Sen Siem Reap Lower Secondary School.

Votey is 13 years old, and is the third child of six siblings. Her parents have a cart from which they sell fruits in the Angkor Wat area, together they earn around $150 a month which is all they have to support their eight member family. When she was in primary school, Votey would share a ride to school on her sister’s bicycle. But the Secondary School is much further from her home and in a different direction than her sister's school. As her family could not afford another bicycle during the pandemic and with no other means of transportation, Votey was at risk of having to drop out. Luckily, through Lotus Pedals, Votey now has a new bicycle of her own. She said, "I will take good care of the bicycle and will study hard to finish school and become a teacher. Thank you for your kindness.”

We are so happy to be able to support girls like Votey in breaking barriers in their families and communities. A huge thank you to all who make our work possible.