Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

The Fall marks the start of a  new  academic year for our 11 college students.  Our last update focused on introducing our students to  you, our supporters,  so that you can have a clear  idea of who your donations support and the accomplishments  our  students. Please keep in mind that all  Kasumisou Foundation programs  are completely donor funded.

It is now  time to pay  the Fall 2015 tuition for our students. The annual tuition for most of our students comes to about $ 450 per year, with one current exception for a student  of about $ 850 per year,  plus about another $100  to $ 150 for books and supplies. All of our students are from disadvantaged families and they  receive very little or in most cases, no  financial support for food, lodging and clothing. To cover this gap, we provide small monthly living stipends of $ 70 to $ 100 per month per student, which function as their sole support beyond free housing which we provide to 8 of our students.

In order for our students to continue  on in their studies we must now pay Fall semester  tuition  bills :

Fall Tuition fees  $2675   ( covers  11 unitersity students  )

Books etc $ $375

Student food allowance ( FALL)  $3080 ( covers 4 months x 11 students )

Total  Funding for Fall 2015 $ 6,130

Your support has made it possile for these students to start their studies. Your continued support will make it possible for them to continue.

Won't you join us in helping to fulfill the dreams of these 11 students to complete a college education?

We are deeply grateful to you for your continued support.

Thank you,

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

Meet Our College Students

The Fall semester is about to begin and it is an ideal time to introduce/reintroduce all of the students in our Kasumisou Scholars program.

Each one of the 11 students in college program is a young adult who has participated in at least one of our programs and who, against remarkable odds, has successfully completed high school. In a country where only an estimated 40% of all students finish high school,  all of these 11 students have  overcome significant challenges and obstacles to achieve their dream of starting  a college education. Several of these students are “ firsts” in their family. He or she   is the first  person in the family  to attend school and to know how to read. For others, the student may be the  first to graduate from grade school or middle school or  high school, and now, for all of our scholars, become the  first to attend college.

The personal stories our students and their achievements inspire us to continue to help other disadvantaged children and students, such as those in our AIDS Patient Family Support Program and our Rural Assistance Program,  to move forward. These personal stories of triumph  by social and economic  peers, enable students in fragile families, who are disadvantaged by parental illiteracy, extreme poverty, or HIV status, to believe in themselves so that they can work toward a brighter future.

Although tuition and living costs for each one  our college students are very modest by American standards, it is important to keep in mind that unlike the USA, there are no student loan or aid packages in Cambodia, and these students don not receive family support. Their own families are making ends meet week to week. And, collectively, it takes significant funding to support  our 11 young adult students.

Your generous support is what enables these students to pursue their dreams and we are so very grateful to you for your past and continued support.

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

Links:

• Meet our college students