The Big Give Christmas Challenge
This winter, Children of the Mekong is taking part in the 2024 Big Give Christmas Challenge!! Commencing on the 3rd of December with #GivingTuesday.
All donations made on The Big Give Christmas Challenge platform will be matched £-for-£.
Did you know? Due to a severe shortage of secondary schools in Northwest Cambodia, the dropout rates for children leaving primary school is extremely high. Many children from poor family backgrounds are pushed to leave education in order to work and contribute to their household income.
Learn more below about how your donation will have a real impact on the lives of those young people.
The current situation
Rural Cambodia sees 70% of children drop out after primary school. Together, we can provide 135 children from disadvantaged backgrounds with an education. 80 of them receive boarding in addition to extra courses and self-development workshops.
Your support ensures no child is left behind.
The Figures
In remote Northwest Cambodia, lower attainment at secondary school is due to a lack of educational resources and the limited finances of local families. The situation is acute in Samrong province:
- There are only 36 secondary schools compared to 210 primary schools
- 45.7% of the population in the region is defined as poor
- 20% of the population is below the poverty threshold
Many children discontinue their education to help support their families, often engaging in subsistence farming or illegal work across the Thai border.
Solution
Opened in 2006, our education centre in Samrong aims to give 70+ disadvantaged children the chance to:
- Pursue a secondary or high school degree, which would not be possible without the centre. We provide free courses that supplement regular school which helps to make up for the low-attainment levels.
- Prepare for higher education at a university or through vocational training.
- Shape responsible, well-rounded individuals to become actively involved in, and contribute to society.
Our Impact
Our project will help break the circle of poverty for underprivileged children from rural Cambodia by providing them access to high school education, orientation on options for further education and by shaping well-rounded individuals. Our impact is demonstrated in academic achievements, academic advancement, and the self-development of the children.
The campaign is taking place starting on December 3rd and lasting for a week, and your support will make a world of difference. Donations must be made through a credit or debit card on the Big Give platform (bank transfers are allowed for donations above £500, cheques won’t be accepted).
Every penny raised (except Gift Aid) will go towards funding our ‘Samrong Education Centre’ in 2024.
We aim to raise £15,000 for the programme, which will help keep over 70+ disadvantaged young people in Cambodia in school. Most of them are the first in their families to go to school and their families live on less than two dollars a day.
You can learn more about this vital programme here.
Your donations will make a lasting and meaningful impact on the children in need as we speak.
Donation is only accepted through this Big Give page
Run and support children in Cambodia!
To support the Big Give Christmas Challenge, this Sunday 8 December UCL RAX will be leading runs varying in distance from 5, 8/10, 15 and 21/15km.
The meeting point is at BT at either 10 on the dot (if you don’t want bag drop) or come and meet us a bit earlier at BT at around 9:45 ish if you want to drop off some stuff beforehand.
Please make sure to donate (under your name) to this link before the run. We expect a minimum donation of 5 pounds. The run will end on campus, after which we will all be heading to Foster Court for some complimentary breakfast baked by Children of the Mekong’s volunteers.
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
For more information, contact Eleanor on +44 7437907147 by call or text.
