The challenge

Cambodia is one of the poorest countries in Asia, with 17.7% of its population living below the national poverty line. In this difficult socio-economic context, young girls from poor families are particularly vulnerable to gender discrimination and its dangers:

- When families do have the means to send their children to school, parents prioritise their sons so that their daughters can stay at home and look after their other siblings or work to provide additional household income. Without an education, these young girls are more vulnerable to socio-economic dangers such as human trafficking, prostitution and drugs.

- This discrimination also has a strong impact on the health of young girls. They are less well nourished than their male counterparts and more likely to be underweight and suffer from malnutrition, growth problems, and other deficiencies. These issues can have life-threatening consequences in a context where health care is very limited, if not completely inaccessible.

Malnutrition is not the only health danger these young girls face. Despite a drop in the number of cases in recent years, Cambodia maintains a high rate of tuberculosis, a severely contagious illness that attacks lung tissue.

The solutions we’re proposing

W4’s field program in Cambodia provides vulnerable young girls with essential support, social help, and education to protect them from the dangers to which they are exposed as a result of their socio-economic situation, including human trafficking, prostitution, and violence. Thanks to education scholarships, the young girls are able to attend school and university and acquire the skills and qualifications they need in order to obtain stable employment.

As part of the program, the young girls benefit from individually customized education and counselling to ensure that they stay in good health, with access to crucial medical care, preventive and therapeutic monitoring, and vaccinations against tuberculosis.

The girls participating in our program also receive nutritious daily meals of rice and fresh vegetables, thus ensuring their good health and encouraging extremely poor parents to continue to send their daughters to school.

The impact of giving

Your donation has a profound impact on the health and the lives of young Cambodian girls. By contributing to this project, you are helping to purchase medical supplies and vaccinations and to provide varied and balanced daily meals to the young girls in our program.

In good health, the participants of our program benefit from better concentration during lessons, enabling them to pursue and succeed in their studies. In turn, these young Cambodian girls have the opportunity to break free from the cycle of poverty and to actively participate in the development of their communities.

Offer these young girls the chance to continue their education and construct a better future for themselves and their families!