Cambodia
Young, resilient and full of promise
Cambodia is a country with a rich culture, a turbulent history and a young population. A country that looks ahead, where more and more young people want to shape their own future. That is what we want to help make possible.
Population
±17 million
Capital
Phnom Penh
Under 30
over half
Official language
Khmer
Higher education enrolment
15%
compared with 88% in the Netherlands
The country
Located in Southeast Asia, Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in the region. Scarred by years of conflict, it continues to struggle with poverty, poor healthcare and deep inequality. This inequality shows up not only in income, but also in socio-economic factors such as education. As a result, a significant part of the population has little or no access to education.
From secondary school to higher education
For motivated young people in Cambodia, continuing their studies after secondary school is far from a given. It's not that ambition is lacking — it's that further education is simply too expensive for many families. Tuition, books, transport and housing add up quickly. As a result, students sometimes have to choose: go to work to support their family, or keep studying and invest in their own future.
Chance2Study helps remove this financial barrier. We award scholarships to motivated students who want to continue on to a college, university or other form of higher education after secondary school. This gives them the chance to complete their studies, build knowledge and skills, and improve their prospects in the job market.
We also support secondary school students with a scholarship for quality English lessons. English plays an important role in many higher education programmes and expands the opportunities to study further. This support lays a solid foundation for the next step.
Because talent and ambition shouldn't be limited by what a family can afford.
Why education makes the difference
Higher education gives young people more than just knowledge and a diploma. It also increases their ability to support themselves and, in time, their families. What's more, we regularly see students later put their knowledge and experience to use for others. In this way, the impact of a single scholarship reaches far beyond one student.
That's why we invest not just in an education, but in giving young people the opportunity to take their next step and build their own future.