Support the futures of 3,000+ Youth in Cambodia

Dear PEPY friends and family,  

We hope this message finds you well. First of foremost, thank you so much for helping us continue our work in service of young Cambodians in our region. In celebration of another year of impact, we compiled some recent updates and an inspiring community story to share with you. 

Our first big news is that we have moved our headquarters to a new office location. The new space is larger and better poised to meet the needs of our team and participants. In addition to our office space development, we received a grant to expand our Dream Management Program from three partner schools to twelve!! We are thrilled to be quadrupling our reach in 2024. On Dec. 9, we saw the return of our Our Story Concert and Art Exhibition. The event showcased the work of artists and performers from across the region, highlighting the importance of creative education and expression in our community. Our team worked very hard to put the event together and felt honored that it received overwhelming support from our community.   

In the Scholarship for Higher Education Program, the team just finished selecting the 28 2023 scholars. Our current scholars and alumni are also doing well. After graduating from PEPY's Learning Center in November 2023, 20 out of 35 first-year scholars received immediate internship offers. Our team is proud that our efforts to network opportunities and our previous scholars' high-quality performances in their internship placements have helped us expand the program so quickly post-pandemic. Next, three of the 2020 scholars have successfully graduated from Vanda Institute, in Accounting, Audit, and Taxation. We look forward to seeing what they will accomplish in the future! And lastly, our scholars and alumni achieved an overall 95% employment rate this quarter.  

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Before we go, we wanted to share the story of one of our first-year scholars, Sohorng. Sohorng is 18 years old and is from Kampong Thom Province. She is an only child and lived with her mother and grandparents when she was growing up.  

Sohorng is very dedicated to improving her English and is an excellent student and person. We observed her continue to strengthen her skills this past year. Currently, she is studying at the Paññasastra University of Cambodia, Siem Reap in IEAP III to earn a bachelor's degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL). She is also starting an internship at Global DMC Tour Company as a Tour Operation Intern. She is working hard to one day become an English teacher and translator. Sohorng would like to work in the countryside and support the education of future students. 

She shared, "I have changed a lot after I stayed with PEPY, I met new friends from other places, and I can cook food. Also, I improved my computer and English skills. In the Youth Empowering class, I learned teamwork, solving […] I hope to get a job and a decent salary to support myself and my family. My big dream is to find an overseas opportunity to visit my favorite countries. I will make my dream come true one day." 

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Thank you for taking the time to read our update and learn more about our work. We hope that our stories have inspired you to visit us in 2024!

In the meantime, we hope that you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season. We look forward to transforming the lives of thousands of Cambodian youth in partnership with you next year! 

Warmly, 

The PEPY Team

Links:

• General Quarterly Report
• Scholarship for Higher Education Report

Dear PEPY friends and community, 

We hope you are all doing well and are having a great week. 

For this update, we would love to introduce you to a scholar whose future you helped make possible through your generosity.

Meet, Chhai, a 2021 scholar from Kampong Leaeng District, Kampong Chhnang Province. After graduating from Hun Sen Kampong Leaeng High School he received the PEPY scholarship. Chhai is the eldest of four, and his parents are farmers. His father also goes to work as a construction worker in Thailand. They do not have much money but do what they can to support each other. He never lets his difficult background and financial challenges stop him from accomplishing his goals. Chhai said, “I used to think about quitting high school and moving to work in Thailand with my father to make money, but I refused to do that. I moved to live with my friends to continue my studies at high school and successfully graduated.”

While Chhai worked hard in high school, his family did not have the resources to help him pursue higher education. The PEPY scholarship was his only chance since other scholarships would only cover tuition. Fortunately, he had a strong application and our team was eager to provide him the opportunity to continue his studies. Currently, Chhai is studying IEAP (Intensive English for Academic Program) at the Pannasastra University of Cambodia, Siem Reap (PUCSR). After he graduates from this program, he will pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

We got Chhai an internship as an English Teacher Assistant Intern at Anjali House Organization for six months, and now Chhai is working at Lynnaya Urban River Resort and Spa. In the future, Chhai wants to become an English Teacher, but he would first want to get more experience speaking with people from around the world to improve his English language skills. Chhai shared, “Thanks for the best opportunity for me to continue with higher education. Without the PEPY scholarship now, I would be a construction worker in Thailand.”

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Without you, Chhai, and all of our PEPY scholars would not be the emerging community leaders and changemakers they are today. Thank you so much for your generosity.

If you would like to help the future Chhai's hoping for an opportunity to pursue their dream, make sure to mark your calendar for this year's Giving Tuesday (November 28, 2023) - where GlobalGiving is offering a $1,200,000 Incentive Fund that will be distributed to participating NGOs proportionally based on final fundraising totals (for donations of $100 or more).

In the meantime, we hope you enjoyed reading Chhai's update! 

Sincerely,

The PEPY Team

Links:

• General Quarter IV Report

• PEPY Quarterly Scholarship Report (PDF)