AVIV PALTI - CAMBODIA UPDATE

Rotary Port Phillip is sponsoring a student, Sreypich, through Aviv's program.  What a wonderful program is highlighted through  this article from Aviv.

 

Jess and I just returned from Cambodia last Friday night and wanted to write to you personally to share with you that we had the most incredible time with our students and alumni. We started off in Phnom Penh, where we met with over 50 of our alumni – honestly, words cannot describe the emotions of pride, admiration and love at seeing these young adults leading empowered lives. ‘Kids’ who just a few years ago were living in villages and expected to drop out of school are now working with international NGOs, educational institutions and companies. Four have started their own businesses – Nak and Yeat are in real estate, Gim is in car sales and Visith set-up a school (with 500 students!!). Barang and Khean work with the UN, Pech just returned from working in India, where he was leading health programs for the NGO he works at. In the past year Sinuon’s NGO has sent her to conferences in Japan, Malaysia and she has just returned from a conference in Belgium and the Netherlands. Sreng works on budget reform at the Ministry of Economy and Finance and in the first six months of this year travelling for work to Japan, Australia and to attend a course at the London School of Economics. There is not a single CRST alumni not shining bright – and that’s in large part thanks to you and your members. Your belief in us and generous support has not only changed our alumni’s lives, but also the lives of their families and their communities, impacting Cambodia for generations to come.

In Siem Reap, the new students have settled-in really well and we had the opportunity of sharing many ‘firsts’ with them – their first ever movie in the cinema (Hidden Figures – what a gem!!), first time ever to a swimming pool and their first CRST-family Khmer New Year celebration at our campus. We also joined the Rotaract Club of Siem Reap team’s club meeting and installed a new Village Street Library with them. Their grades at school and university are excellent and they love their new responsibilities in our community Projects and volunteer activities. It was very fulfilling to spend meaningful days with them and Jess and I also had the opportunity to join the New Student Selection team to visit three schools who will participate in our new students selection process for the next academic year. The school Directors were so overjoyed that their students will have the opportunity to apply to join CRST – they have seen the incredible changes in some of their past students who joined us a few years ago and are now returning to run our CRST outreach Projects at their schools.