Few Cambodian students go on to college. For years we have nurtured and urged Kasumisou Foundation programs' students to dream of college. Now dreams are coming true! We started with 4 brand new High School grads from our Rural Assistance Program. Now there we have 12 students entering college and more on the way. All dared to dream of college. It's taken years to get these kids through school. Help us send them to college. Let's build some dreams by providing scholarships to help these kids!
During the Khmer Rouge (1974~1979) an estimated 3 million Cambodians died.Schools closed.Most educated people were killed.By 1980, only 50 university instructors remained,the rest deceased.Illiteracy soared to 40%.Today, according to US AID, although most elementary age children are in school, just 21% of students enter high school. Teachers often lack training. .College is a dream beyond the reach of nearly all, except the elite. We have High School grads who need tuition to attend college
Funding the college education of these hardworking students helps these students break the cycle of inherited poverty. Our students have goals: accountant,nurse, translator and business management and they have dreams of a middle class life instead of a hard life of poverty. They have dreams of helping their families. Education will help students to achieve those goals. They are willing to work hard to complete their college degrees and achieve their goal of having a professional job.
The students will also continue the rebuilding of an intellectual and professional base that had been destroyed in the Khmer Rouge years, something that is essential to building a stable foundation for a free democratic society in Cambodia. These students will also be encouraged to serve as mentors and examples to inspire other students to reach for and build their dreams.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).