By Narath Keo | Program Coordinator
Quarterly Update: Support 2,000 Students in Cambodia
Reporting Period: September – December 2025
Because of your generosity, vulnerable students in rural Cambodia are staying in school despite significant financial barriers. In many households, the cost of basic learning materials and safe transportation makes regular attendance difficult, especially for lower secondary students. This quarter, your support directly removed those barriers, helping children continue their education safely and with dignity.
What You Made Possible This Quarter
Thanks to you, 107 students in Siem Reap Province were able to remain in school with the resources they need to learn and thrive.
Progress Toward Our Goal
This project is working toward a long-term goal of supporting 2,000 rural students to continue their education. In this quarter, 107 students received targeted support. With a focus on prioritising the most vulnerable students facing immediate dropout risks, as the next steps, we will expand support to additional remote schools in upcoming quarters. Your contributions are helping us build steady, community-led progress toward this goal.
Student Story: Keeping a Girl in School and with Her Family
Bopha (a pseudonym) is a 14-year-old Grade 7 student at a secondary school in Siem Reap Province. After her father left the family, financial hardship and illness placed Bopha at serious risk of leaving school and being separated from her family. Because of your support this quarter, Bopha and her family received a bicycle, learning materials, food assistance, and case management. “I want to stay with my family and continue my education,” Bopha shared. Today, she remains safely at home, attends school regularly, and looks to the future with renewed confidence. Her story shows how timely, family-based support can prevent school dropout while keeping children where they belong - with their families.
Challenges We Faced, and How We Responded
High dropout risk remains a serious challenge in rural Cambodia. The average school dropout rate is 16.0%, driven largely by household financial constraints. When families cannot afford learning materials or transportation, children are far more likely to leave school prematurely.
Our response:
This quarter, we prioritized targeted interventions, providing bicycles and essential learning materials, to remove the most immediate barriers to attendance. As a result, 107 vulnerable students, including 46 girls, received direct support, enabling them to attend school regularly and safely.
Community Leadership and Systems Engagement
These results were achieved through a combination of your support and strong local leadership. School management committees led community-based fundraising, while Ministry officials and civil society organizations coordinated responses and aligned longer-term education strategies. Parents and community leaders played an active role, sharing responsibility to ensure children’s education continued despite difficult circumstances.
Looking Ahead
In the next quarter, we will expand our reach to more remote schools and strengthen collaboration with education authorities to ensure faster, more inclusive emergency responses. With your continued support, children like Bopha can remain in school, stay with their families, and pursue their dreams.
Thank you for making this possible. Together, we are helping ensure 2,000 rural students can continue learning - one child, one family, and one community at a time.
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