18-year-old Thavy*, a beneficiary of  ISF’s Education Programme, used to live in Takeo Province in southwest Cambodia with her family. Despite attending school there for six years, she could not read or write well growing up. At 13 years old, she moved to Phnom Penh with her sister and discovered ISF. She restarted from grade one at ISF and after completing our Catch-up Programme, she entered state school in grade five.

Thavy recently told us a little bit more about the impact ISF’s programmes have had on her life to date:

“I am proud to say that I am still attending school now and currently am in grade eight. I have nine siblings and I am the only one who is still in school. My family means everything to me and even though I am the youngest child,
I seem to be the one who devotes the most time to my parents, making sure they are taken care of. Because of this added responsibility, I was delighted to get involved in ISF’s Employment Programme.

The Employment Programme has trained me to work part-time at ISF Stung Meanchey as a librarian. I’ve been working there since September 2017. My job is mainly to ensure the library is kept tidy, the books are presented nicely and in the correct order and that students who come to read understand the rules of the library. Sometimes, I help some of the younger students with reading.

Working at ISF has developed my skills and made my life a lot better. The wages I receive help towards my rent as
well as the cost of transport, my daily allowance and supporting my family. I am probably busier than a typical 18-year-old girl – I work two jobs and study at the same time. It is tough at the moment, but I need to persevere
and keep going for myself and for my family. I really love my job as a librarian and I would like to work here until I reach grade 12. I will try my best to pass the national exams and hope I will be able to continue my higher education at university. My goal is to become an accountant in the future.”

*Names of those under 18 have been changed.