Build dreams! Send Cambodian Students to College!

It is hard to imagine that 50 years ago ( 1975) , during the Khmer Rouge years  (1974~1979) , the City of Phnom Penh, in 1974 started with  a population estimated at 800,000 to 1 million people, all of  which was emptied out by a forced march to the countryside by the Khmer Rouge.  The Khmer Rouge soldiers took over the capital city on April 17, 1975. .All of the schools were closed down. Being known to have an education or be an intellectual was in effect, a death sentence. Most of the educated people in Cambodia  were killed. Cambodia with a population in the early 1970s estimated at 8 million  would lose  an estimated 3 million  by the early 1980s. Cambodians died in  the killing fields or from  severe deprivation. . By 1980, only 50 university instructors remained and it was estimated that only 32 physicians in the entire country  survived.   Illiteracy soared to 40%.

Today, according to US AID, although most elementary age children are in school, just 21% of students enter high school. Teachers often lack training and college is a dream beyond the reach of nearly all, except the elite few.

For years we have nurtured and urged students in the various Kasumisou Foundation programs to dream of college. In recent years, those dreams  have started to come  true! Let me introduce you to three  amazing young women. 

Ms. T , age 20  

Ms. T has been  a dedicated  and talented dance student at our Champey Academy for about 8 years . She has recently been promoted to assistant dance teacher at Champey. Ms. T not only teaches dance, she also assists in welcoming tourist guests to our school. Her strong English language skills are almost entirely self taught.  

Ms. T has  continued teaching at Champey as she began her first year at university. During this first year, her studies will be the foundational classes in the evenings at Western University in Phnom Penh. She has recently completed her first semester. Upon completion of the foundational classes, her goal is to pursue a degree in International Relations. Kasumisou Foundation will provide a scholarship to pay half of Ms. T's tuition, the remaining half will be paid by Ms. T. Current tuition costs are $300 per semester ($600 annually) .

Ms. V, age 19

Ms. V works in the office at our Champey Academy. She is the primary person responsible for greeting the many tourists who visit the school each year as well as developing and managing relationships with the various tour companies who bring guests to Champey. Ms. V is truly fluent in English.  Ms. V is beginning her first year at university. Upon completion of the foundational classes, she will begin studying International Relations at Western University in Phnom Penh in the evenings. Kasumisou Foundation will provide a scholarship to pay half of Ms. V's tuition, the remaining half will be paid by Ms. V.  Current tuition costs are $300 per semester.($600 annually) . 

Ms. S, age 29

Shown above receiving her undergraduate diploma in 2024

We have written about Ms. S before. Now , at age 29, Ms. S has been admitted to the prestigious  Institute for Foreign Languages ( IFL) to pursue a post graduate program in English. The program is a rigorous and intensive program. All applicants are required by the IFL to have an outstanding level of achievement for admission. and face a rigorous exam qualification process. Tuition costs for the program are $600 per semester ( $1200 annually) Kasumisou Foundation will provide a scholarship to cover half of the tuition and the remaining half will be paid Ms. S.

All three of these students have employment at Champey that allows them to be able to pay a part of their tuition, so we have elected to offer scholarships to  pay half of the tuition with each student responsible for paying the remaining half

Your support has made this possible ! 

Your generous support helps to make these opportunities possible for these three talented young women. Your generosity has forever changed their lives , enabling them to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams .

We are deeply grateful to you for your support. Truly you have changed the lives of these three students!

Barbara & Mark Rosasco