Education, a powerful force for change

Vulnerable young people like Pili are getting the education they need in Cambodia to become powerful forces for change.

As Australian students joyfully head off to school and university, it is hard to reconcile that only one in ten students from rural Cambodia will finish high school.

It’s a statistic that almost guarantees another generation will remain trapped in poverty, while Cambodia struggles with the shortage of educated people it so desperately needs to develop the country. 

While the current situation seems dire, thanks to the extraordinary kindness of our Jesuit Mission family, there is a path forward.

The Battambang Education Project, run by our Jesuit partner Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang, is providing the most disadvantaged young people in Cambodia with life-changing education, so they can support and lead their own communities, and help Cambodia flourish.

Pili's education journey

For Pili, her Battambang Education Project scholarship with was life-changing.

Like 90 percent of Cambodians who live with the burden of poverty, Pili grew up in a rural area. Her parents worked hard as farmers to enable her to go to school, but by Grade 5 it was becoming difficult to continue her education.

Pili received a scholarship to attend the Jesuit-supported Taehen Student Centre, one of the six student centres in Northwest Cambodia run by the Battambang Education Project in partnership with Jesuit Mission Australia.

“Without a scholarship I wouldn’t have been able to continue studying or go to high school. I probably would have gotten married young like my mother and sister.”
- Pili

Dedicated to her education and her community, Pili completed tertiary studies in Phnom Penh then returned to take a paid role working in the office of Apostolic Prefecture of Battambang.

She also began volunteering at the Taehen Student Centre, sharing her knowledge and skills with the next generation of students .

Pili then went on to earn a Bachelor of Accounting and Finance, and in 2023 completed a leadership course. 

Coming full circle, she recently started a new job as Project Manager of the Battambang Education Project. It’s a role she absolutely loves, and she’s proud to be a leader at the very program that transformed her life. 

“When I lived at home, I didn’t have the confidence to talk or share my ideas with others. Living at the centre I grew in confidence. I enjoyed staying and studying with my friends. I felt the centre was my second home.”
- Pili

Now the primary breadwinner for her family, Pili’s story is a clear example of how the support of people like you can transform a young person’s life and help them become a powerful force for change in their family, community and country.

“I am happy that I have a chance to help my community,” she says. “I can help them through my teaching and my knowledge.”

The Battambang Education Project

Seeking out the most vulnerable young people in the region, the Battambang Education Project supports students with education scholarships, accommodation and the holistic care they need to learn, develop and fulfil their unique potential.

The quality education provided by the Battambang Education Project is helping young Cambodians beat the odds and get the education they deserve.

Find out more

• Read more about the Battambang Education Project
  
• Our education programs