Hope Through Education
With strong support from the Tim Purcell Cambodia Scholarship Fund and Australian medical professionals, Graduation House welcomes four scholarship students to the program. Two students will be studying agriculture and two will train to be the doctors of the future.
Our inaugural students are now living at Graduation House and have begun their university studies.
Meet our future doctors and agriculture specialists
Students pictured in front of their homes before coming to Graduation House
Our House of Progress Manager, Vanna Nheb, put together a wonderful celebration concert which was hosted by Pisey and Samnang – two of our Graduation House students. The program was jam-packed with singing, traditional Khmer dances, a Christmas nativity play, dancing and much more, making sure that all of our children and students were able to take part in the festivities. The highlight for me was seeing the young girls (8-9 years old) from Sunshine House performing their first official Khmer traditional dance – all dressed up with make-up, their hair done and wearing traditional outfits. They were super-cute AND did a great job.
After the concert came the gift-giv
ing, which, of course, was a highlight for staff and students alike (who doesn’t like presents?). Lunch followed shortly after with an incredible and very delicious spread prepared by the
Sunshine House and House of Progress staff. And let me tell you, it was truly a feast fit for a king!
Our thanks go to not only our amazing staff who made our Christmas Party a great success, but also to our generous donors, without whose support the celebration would not have been possible. I have no doubt that this special day has created wonderful memories for all of our children and students – for which we thank you.
FREEDOM without a FUTURE
is simply another form
of SLAVERY
We see the children of Graduation House as the future leaders and professionals that Cambodia so desperately needs in order to rebuild as a nation. Graduation House represents the final step in the educational journey for Awareness Cambodia’s children.
This project provides young adults with a home in which to live independently (but within the support structure of Awareness Cambodia) whilst they attend university or technical training.
Rescue is not a moment or event, it’s a process. The journey from being rescued at Sunshine House to upper high school at House of Progress and onto G
raduation House allows orphans to access higher education within a supportive and structured environment.
Today’s orphaned students are studying disciplines such as Civil Engineering, Economics, Computer Science, Architecture and English Literature.
With the outstanding success of the Graduation House project and the new Graduation House complex almost complete, we have extended the program to not only our Child Development Programs but also to offer scholarships to poor, rural marginalised young people who show academic excellence and a passion for social justice. These scholarships are offered in agricultural studies and medicine. Awareness Cambodia believes that a person’s desire and ability to heal should not be determined by how much money they have.
We reduce SUFFERING by providing OPTIONS for forgotten children.
We’re very pleased to announce the launch of a new education program.
From next month, four select students from the country’s poorest provinces will receive a majority-funded scholarship to complete tertiary studies in agriculture and medicine.
These financial lifelines will help enable students from underprivileged backgrounds to reach their full potential to further assist much-needed services in rural communities.
Agriculture
About 65 per cent of the Cambodian population is engaged in agriculture, which makes up around one-third of the country’s economy. Productivity in the sector is very low, with about 35 per cent of the rural population also below the poverty line.
Awareness Cambodia (ACI) is looking to boost this sector by funding 80 per cent of university fees for select students – in partnership with Tim Purcell Cambodia Scholarship Fund (TPCST).
Once graduated, students will be appointed work within a provincial project for two years, before receiving a bonus to help kick-start their career.
Medicine
There is a great need for quality doctors in Cambodia, especially in rural areas where medical services are so hard to come by.
The scholarship program is designed to enable underprivileged students who show academic excellence to complete medical studies at the International University in Phnom Penh.
Their scholarships include study materials, food, electricity and accommodation until the students successfully complete their degree. It will also allow students to complete an internship with ACI’s Operation Nightingale program, or another provincial medical project, where they will work alongside experienced medical specialists.
Costs per student are estimated to be $38,500 over seven years – or around $5500 per annum. We are asking for the generous hand of anyone willing to help us make a bit of history in Cambodia.
If you would like to financially support this pilot program, email Charmaine on [email protected]
It was all smiles and laughter when more than 1,500 Cambodian students received a special delivery from Awareness Cambodia (ACI).
Over two days, backpacks filled with life-changing school supplies were distributed across three primary schools in Cambodia’s poorest province, as part of ACI’s Case for Change educational program.
Case for Change coordinator Jessica Hull said for some children, this was the first gift they had ever received.
“The look on the kid’s faces is so gratifying. Seeing their huge smiles as they sling the new backpacks across their shoulder for the first time is truly moving,” Jess said.
It was certainly a team effort to raise the $15 needed for each backpack, with students from Atwell College, Wesley College and Lake Joondalup Baptist College, and businesses Crown Money Management, CRS Australia, Interact Club Freshwater Bay, Kayu and Kennerlys leading fundraising efforts.
Fundraising included quiz nights and money-for-chores including cooking, cleaning and dog walking. Jess says she’s looking forward to seeing more innovative fundraising ideas next year.
“Since 2008, we’ve touc
hed the lives of around 3,000 primary-aged children, and in 2014 we’re looking to raise the bar again to reach out to a further 2,000.”
If you would like to be involved, email Jess Hull on [email protected]
From the moment we arrived, children and staff welcomed us with open arms, with each day a highlight. Some of the highlights from the trip include:
Watching a sow give birth to 10 piglets at the Eco Farm.
Playing endless games of ‘tag’ (the most popular game with the kids).
Painting the girls dorm hot pink.
Joining a beautiful community of children singing together with such gusto each evening.
Cooking a humongous pile of sausages and onions for a traditional ‘Aussie Barbecue’, which the children ate with rice.
It was truly an incredibly special moment when we watched the children’s faces as they opened their birthday presents from the Perth College community. Even though they were receiving the gifts, their trust and genuine nature taught us much about what it is like to be generous without judgement.”