Student Scholarship Project

In Cambodia, participation in every level of education is low. While the level of enrolments in primary school is considered satisfactory (80.6 per cent net admission) access to lower secondary and upper secondary schooling is dismal. Only 29 per cent of boys and 26 per cent of girls enroll in secondary school.

Overwhelmingly, poverty forces children to forgo schooling to support their families. The majority of Cambodia’s illiterate population lives in poverty in remote and rural areas. Within Cambodia’s formal education system, students face inadequate facilities, large classroom size, lengthy travel times to nearby villages or towns, and high costs for their families. At the upper levels these problems are compounded by the need to pay bribes to pass the upper secondary level exams and to secure admission to universities.

This Life Cambodia believes that every individual should have access to basic education and literacy provisions to improve the quality of their lives.

The main goal of the Student Scholarship Project is to support and reintegrate students back into the public education system. The aim of the program is to elevate the financial burden associated with schooling, therefore improving the access to education for poor families. Education enables children to develop the essential skills needed to make positive changes in their lives, and break free from poverty.

Enabling students to attend school and participate in extracurricular activities enhances their education and opens up future employment opportunities in a location where international tourism and trade are rapidly expanding.

Currently we provide scholarships to lower and upper secondary school students who have either dropped out already or would not have continued to the next grade due to the associated high costs.

We work with local schools, villages and communes, village leaders and communities to ensure the most worthy and needy children are chosen. We have implemented strict criteria, guidelines, monitoring and support programs to ensure scholarships are being effectively used and students are supported throughout their schooling. This Life Cambodia has a policy that a minimum of 50 per cent of our scholars must be female to bridge the gender inequality gap in education.

Our Student Sponsorship Project covers all the costs associated with secondary schooling and also covers additional expenses to keep our students in school. We provide:

  1. Bicycle & lock + Repairs
  2. Uniforms
  3. School Bag
  4. Books
  5. Pens, Pencils + Case
  6. Math Tools
  7. Monthly Expense
  8. Extra Class Fees (Private Time)
  9. Counseling
  10. Case Management
  11. Family Social Support
  12. Additional Tuition
  13. Emergency Medical Assistance

This Life Cambodia does not just distribute the scholarship materials and monthly allowance; we also monitor our scholarship students’ attendance, study records and home environment. We monitor the students’ attendance on a weekly basis and also monitor the students’ academic performance on a monthly basis. We take our responsibility seriously. We have chosen to work with students who have already dropped out of school once due to external (financial) pressures. We plan to support their every need to prevent this situation arising again.

Progress

TLC sponsored a total of 48 students for the 2010-2011 school year, across 4 different schools.
You can read our latest report here.

Support

This Life Cambodia offers you the opportunity to sponsor a student’s education or to support an educational program in Cambodia. $250US will cover all related costs, providing one student a scholarship and the opportunity to continue their education for one year. $750US will see a student through lower secondary school. It is simple; all you have to do is click on the TLC Contact Form and send it back to us with the blanks filled in and adding your interest in becoming a sponsor. We will then get back to you as soon as possible OR you can make your donation by clicking on the Donate Now page and following the links to  Provide one full year of student sponsorship,. For details of what we provide you, our wonderful student scholarship supporters please click here

We work directly at a grassroots level with communities and their leaders in Siem Reap to enable the most underprivileged individuals and families the opportunity to develop to their highest potential.