The Battambang Education Project provides education opportunities to young people from very poor families in nine provinces in Northwest Cambodia.
75% of Cambodia’s population of 16 million people live in rural areas, with families struggling to grow enough food crops to survive. They are exposed to the exploitative practices of middlemen and farm-implement providers. In addition, some farmers have to take loans, putting up their land as collateral, and end up losing their farm when they cannot repay the loan. Many parents cannot afford to send their children to school and prefer them to help with the farm or earn some income. Approximately 60% of the country’s population is aged 25 years and below, but only 28% of primary school students go on to lower secondary school and only half of these go on to upper secondary school. In addition, with Battambang Prefecture’s proximity to Thailand, many parents cross the border to work, leaving their children behind, at risk of trafficking and neglect. Thanks to kind supporters like you, Jesuit Mission can assist the Battambang Education Project to ensure a better future for Cambodian youth from marginalised families by providing access to education, supporting parents in putting their children through school, and forming the young people holistically so that they can contribute to building a just, open and free society. The project provides scholarships; training in areas such as leadership, psycho-social and environment; counselling; accommodation and essential services for the most disadvantaged students aged 12-24. It runs six hostels across the prefecture for students from remote villages. These hostels provide not just board and lodging, but learning facilities and guidance under a supervised student-formation program.
Students from remote villages live and study under the supervision of caring adults.
DONATE “The support of Jesuit Mission has been critical to the development and success of our education project. It has made education possible for hundreds of youth in Battambang Prefecture, and we will always be grateful for the tremendous support extended. We hope for our continued partnership, without which it will be impossible to continue our shared work on this scale.”
Orphans or youth abandoned by their parents are given priority, as they are deemed the most vulnerable. Other students in the program come from very poor families, with none or few of their siblings having finished Grade 12; or from villages that are very far away from schools or universities, or those who do not have relatives they can stay with near the schools. All of the hostels now have more young women than men.
Pili's Story
"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."
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.
"I am happy that I have a chance to help my community," she says. "I can help them through my teaching and my knowledge."
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.
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.
Pili when she started at Jesuit-supported Taehen Student Centre.
Pili's father passed away two years ago, so she is now the primary income earner in her family. She takes care of her bedridden mother and pays for the education of two of her younger sisters and her niece and nephew who she now cares for.
