Our sponsored young ladies typically live in very poor communities (as seen here) while they attend college. Their families typically live in poor rural communities.
All of our sponsored young ladies are amazing in their dedication to their studies and their desire for a better life. It was such a great pleasure to interact with them in spite of our limited understanding of the Cambodian language and their limited understanding of the English language. They were engaging and friendly.
The young ladies and their families are from poor, rural areas and undergo extreme sacrifice in order for the young ladies to pursue their education. As college students, the young ladies are unable to afford private tutors which puts them at a disadvantage compared to the college students from the cities who routinely have private tutors. They also sleep on floors without mattresses and eat very little. Raising money for their education became much less abstract as we developed an in-person bond with them and appreciated how hard their "rode" is and how dedicated they are to fulfilling their aspirations and dreams.
The Royal University of Phnom Penh is the oldest and largest university in Cambodia.
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