Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

Ms. S. has been in Kasumisou programs for many years. Now in her early 20s, Ms. S ( and her family ) have been receiving support from our AIDS Patient Family Support Program. Ms. S  had come  to us when she was about 4 years old, around the time that her father died of AIDS. Throughout her life, Ms. S has faced a series of challenges that most of us would find unimaginable.

Throughout her academic career – in primary and secondary school – S. consistently ranked near the top of her class.   Her dream was to become a physician but, because S. has suffered since birth from serious medical issues herself, her family felt that the demands of medical school would be too much for her. After Ms. S graduated from high school she enrolled at the National University of Management (NUM) where she achieved good results until, early in 2015, when she became gravely ill and began to experience loss of motor control in her right hand and leg.

On the advice of doctors in Phnom Penh, we sent S. and her mother to Bangkok , which was an 11 hour bus ride each way. We arranged for an examination and consulted with a neuro-surgeon at a top hospital there. Fortunately, unlike the US, medical tests in Bangkok were somewhat “affordable”. Ms. S. was found to have a brain tumor in precisely the location of the brain which controls the body’s motion and movement. The tumor was located deep inside the brain where surgical removal would be very dangerous. The doctors recommended that we first try drug treatment, primarily anti-inflamatant, to arrest further growth of the tumor and treat the symptoms. So far, that treatment has halted the tumor’s growth and nearly eliminated the frequent bouts of nausea and severe headaches from which S. had suffered. Unfortunately, she continues to have only very limited use of her right hand and some impairment in the use of her right leg.

The tumor diagnosis came in the Spring of 2015 and, at that time, a decision was made for S. to suspend her studies at the NUM and focus on her treatment.

Ms. S is a person with considerable determination. After just a few months of treatment, she was able to return to her part time job at our Champey Academy of Arts where she does primarily accounting work but also greets the tourists who visit the school, explaining to them the mission and program of instruction at Champey Academy and sharing with them some basic information about Cambodian traditional arts.

 A second chance

The more than one year which S. spent dealing with her cancer gave her time to reflect on her academic career and future career goals . With input from her family and our team, a decision was made for S. to pursue a degree in English language and literature with the goal of eventually becoming a professor of English. To achieve that goal, S. needs to gain entry into Phnom Penh’s distinguished and highly selective Institute of Foreign Languages.

 With that interim goal in mind last autumn we enrolled S. in a rigorous program of English language instruction at Phnom Penh’s most respected English language school, the Australian Centre for English (ACE). In January, S. completed her first term at ACE with an aggregated score of 79 out of a possible 100. Her final individual grades showed her to be especially strong in reading and vocabulary but with some room for improvement in her writing and speaking ability. We intend to look for opportunities for S. to get additional practice and possibly outside tutoring to help her improve both her speaking and writing abilities while she works to complete the remaining five semester levels of instruction at ACE.

We fully support S.’s decision to pursue a degree in English language and literature and her ultimate goal of becoming a professor of English.   We believe this goal is very much aligned with her abilities and her personality and we hope to have the resources to help her achieve her dream.

Your help and donations help students like Ms. S to build their dreams, even dreams  that may at times seem impossible.

The students in our program have all had to overcome remarkable challenges to pursue their goal of a college education. How wonderful that having done so, we can be a part of their success by helping with tuition and other assistance.

Thank you so much for your support!

Barbara & Mark Rosasco

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration” . Thomas A. Edison

Education can be a slow and steady process. We are so pleased that we have been able to provide the opportunity to our students to work toward their dreams of obtaining a college education.

All of our students are financially vulnerable and they receive little or no financial support from their families. Simply paying for tuition and books would not be enough to help these young people achieve their goals, so we also provide most of our scholars with part time work at our Champey Academy of Arts . Four of them – two boys and two girls – sleep in the classrooms there at night to avoid the considerable expense of renting a room in Phnom Penh.

Genius in our midst…..

Our update today will focus on the inspiring story of Ravun, one of our students. Ravun , age 20 is a Food Science major , she is now in her 3^rd year at the Royal University of Agriculture. Her goal after graduation is to work in a lab.

Ravun has a long history with Kasumisou Foundation, more than 15 years. We have known Ravun since about age 4 as her mother was a member of the first generation of our Aids Patient Family Support Program patients. Amazingly, Ravun’s mother is still with our FSP program and although she is medically frail, she works as a cleaning woman for an expatriate family in Phnom Penh. She is currently nursing a broken arm after a fall from a motorbike. Our FSP stressed education and Ravun was always strongly encouraged to attend school, advice that led to a series of graduations: elementary school, middle school and eventually high school. An exceptional and determined student, Ravun joined our Kasumisou Scholars program at age 17.

Ravun lives at home in a small apartment with her mother in central Phnom Penh. Ravun suffers from a congenital handicap where her legs are uneven in length, which causes her to walk with a severe limp. Despite this challenge, Ravun bicycles to attend University classes every day. The bike ride to the University, which is located outside of Phnom Penh near the Killing Vields, is a considerable distance from the city center . Although we have not measured the exact distance Ravun rides, the distance is about a 45 minute drive by car each way.

Ravun is exceptionally motivated young woman who has a clear vision of the career path that she wants to pursue. This photo, taken just this week , shows a capable young woman, who although faced with daunting life circumstances has chosen many times to pursue success although facing considerable odds. Cambodia is a country where it is estimated that only 40% of all students even attend high school. Rather than just give up and “ accept fate” Ravun has instead chosen to take a path of pursuing excellence and achievement. We cannot yet predict the full extent of Ravun’s future accomplishments, but we are confident that in the context of Thomas Edison’s quote, that “Genius” is in our midst.

The new school year has started and at present we still have 6 students in our program. Several students our original 11 students have now graduated and we are so proud of their achievements.

The generosity of you, our donors, has provided students like Ravun with an opportunity , that but for your support, would have been an impossible dream.

On behalf of our students, we extend our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful supporters and we hope that you understand that your donations and continuing support can   truly make a difference in the lives of these young people.

Consider for a moment, all that you have accomplished together, so far..... 

Barbara & Mark Rosasco