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PROGRAM ADVANCING GIRLS EDUCATION
Cambodia
Meet the local nonprofit working to support academically gifted young women in their pursuit of tertiary education, empowering a new generation of local female leaders.
Who Are They?
P.A.G.E. program is managed by a team of local monks in Siem Reap known as 'Life and Hope Association'. They work with community leaders and families in rural areas surrounding Siem Reap to identify girls with a demonstrated academic ability, helping them access secondary education in the city.
Why is their work so important?
FINANCE
Secondary education is unavailable in many rural areas meaning that students must move to expensive major cities to study.
(Anecdotal, Life and Hope Association)
LITERACY
Only 33% of school-aged girls in Cambodia are enrolled at lower secondary school and 11% at upper secondary level.
GENDER
Young girls in Cambodia are often required to forego schooling in order to provide unskilled labour at work and at home.
What do they do?
P.A.G.E. program offers the opportunity for 36 academically gifted, industrious girls from rural areas surrounding Siem Reap to live in the city and attend secondary school full-time. Beneficiaries are supplied with food, accommodation, tutoring and education tailored to their unique needs.
Scholarships for Board and Lodging
P.A.G.E. program operates a boarding house near the centre of Siem Reap where girls live, eat and study. On weekdays, they ride their bicycle to nearby schools and in the evenings and on weekends, the girls receive tutoring and specialised support to assist in their studies. Most go on to study tertiary education or undertake training in a formal trade.
In doing so, PAGE program offers a safe and supportive environment where passionate and talented young women can grow, learn and live together.
Ideology from the director
In Cambodia, it is generally women who manage the household budget and care for their children. By investing in the education of women, Venerable Lorm Loeurm, the organisations director, hopes that PAGE program will contribute to the trickle-down effects so often seen with increased female literacy.
"By educating young women, we have seen that the effects of our program are more likely to be passed on to younger generations. It is mothers who ensure good nutrition in the family diet and it is mothers who allocate money to their children’s educational needs."
What do locals think?
Nol Yurt
PAGE Girl, 21
"My goal is to become a doctor. Now I believe it's possible".
Aronras Malis
PAGE Girl, 23
"One day I want to travel the world. That's why I want to work in tourism."
Venerable Lorm Loeurm
Project Director
"We aim to give gifted girls the opportunity to flourish".
