Veasna Leay: Education helps a whole family - Children of the Mekong

Veasna Leay: Education helps a whole family

Leay is 27 years old, he has recently become an engineer in architecture. He spent 3 years at Samrong, then 3 years at the center of Dr Chistophe Mérieux at Phnom Penh, where he integrated the Institute of Technology at Cambodia (ITC). Son of farmers, he is aware that his parents wouldn’t have been able to offer him the education that he received without sponsorship.

An entrepreneur with his future wife

Today, he is fulfilled in his professional and personal life. In parallel to his employment within the construction company CEE, he is creating a start-up with his future wife, who is also an architect.

Leay admits that his project is more ambitious than just monetary gain. He remembers, when he arrived at Phnom Penh, to have found houses that were poor, made out of brick and pitcher. He aims to build houses at a reasonable price, but more comfortable and more aesthetically, to increase the level of architecture in the city and the country.

The impact of education extends beyond the student themselves

Thanks to his salary, which rises to more than 250 dollars per month, Leay is able to lead an independent and autonomous life at the heart of the Cambodian capital. Here, his younger brother, who studies finance and management, has joined him.

For Leay, it’s obvious: The impact of education extends beyond himself. Education helps the entire family. 

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