Give access to education in rural Cambodia

Since 2006, providing access to education to young people in rural Cambodia

Children of the Mekong welcomes 80+ students at the Samrong Education Centre, so they can continue their education despite the poverty of their families. Without the centre, they would have dropped out of school as their remote village is too far from the provincial secondary school.

The centre provides accommodation, food, and all the costs related to their schooling. The children attend the local public school, and benefit from extra classes at the centre, as well as holistic training. This includes activities related to sport, art and self-development. The aim of the centre is for those young people to become well-balanced and responsible young men and women.

Limited access to secondary education

Physical access to school is difficult with the cost of transport or the number of walking hours proving dissuasive. Many children must convince their parents of the importance of education, as often the families rely on small-scale farming for income and thus their children being a part of their workforce.

Rural and disadvantaged public schools tend to have facilities in poor condition, which negatively impacts the quality of education provided. Driven by extremely low wages, there is an ingrained culture of private tuitions after school hours where teachers expect students to pay an extra fee to make up the shortfall, but this is unattainable for disadvantaged children.

This is why Children of the Mekong runs this education centre in Samrong, so that young people can continue their education and prepare for a better future.

The Four Aims of the Samrong Education Centre

Teaching at Samrong Education Centre

Samrong Education Centre 4 aims

IMPACT OF THE SAMRONG EDUCATION CENTRE

Since 2006, the Samrong Education Centre had a huge impact on its 80+ direct beneficiaries each year and the 160 children in our programmes in the surrounding villages. There are at least twice the number of indirect beneficiaries, namely siblings and family, who benefit from food distribution and health costs reimbursement. With regular classes in mathematics, Khmer, English, chemistry, physics, biology, and computer technology, alongside complementary courses and extracurricular events, we are empowering students with the tools to give back to their community and actualise their dreams

80+ children received full boarding in the four boarding houses in the centre, in addition to education support.
7 sponsorship programmes supporting 160 children in 32 villages
3 guidance forums on university, vocational training, and careers

Samrong Education Centre group photo

Read our latest Monitoring & Evaluation report

E.K. Pagna

‘I come from a village called “Beng” and it has been 6 years since I have been in the Samrong Centre. Today, I am in grade 12, the last year of school. My favourite subject is maths. In the future, I want to be an architect because I like drawing. I like living in the Samrong Centre. My favourite thing about it is being able to garden. I like taking care of the centre and regularly cleaning up.

I’m also in charge of hygiene in the boy’s residence where I stay! I’m very happy to share my daily routine with the other students in the centre. My favourite part of the week is when we watch films together on Saturday nights. I also like to play music during activities. I would like to sincerely thank my sponsor who gave me the opportunity to study and grow up in a good environment.’

Peakday

Peakday, a model of bravery

The story begins in 2016. Peakdey, a 10-year-old boy, was in Year 6 at the time. Children of Mekong began to support him in order to help with his family’s financial difficulties, enabling him to continue his education as normal.

But when COVID hit Cambodia head-on, Peakdey and his family found themselves struggling to survive. Once it was possible to gravel again, the family moved to the eastern province of Ratanakiri, close to Vietnam. Peakdey had no choice but to drop out of school.

The family’s financial situation was such that Peakdey had to work. He was only 14 years old. His parents had found work in a fruit delivery business, where he was also employed.

In 2023, due to unemployment, Peakdey and his parents returned to their home village of Pothivong, where we had initially supported him.

He came to see us, all by himself, and asked if he could be supported again. He was so eager to go back to school! He came back several times to show his motivation!

Peakdey is now 17 years old. He has been awarded a new place at the Children of Mekong centre and is currently in Year 10. We would like to thank his sponsors, Maxime and Thaiene, for supporting him in this new adventure!

Peakdey is an inspirational model of courage and tenacity, but he also shows great sensitivity.

These days, he spends what little spare time he has, visiting his mother, who is in hospital. He is also a very talented singer. Earlier this year, he came first in a talent contest in the province of Otdar Meanchey!