Meet Gao Yinh… she was so young and earnest when we met her a few years ago in rural Cambodia as part of our Focus Cambodia project, in her last year of high school and unsure of what the future held. Yinh was graduating as the top student in her school but did not imagine she could go further with her education. Even though her dream was to attend university and become a teacher, her family could not support her. Her mum was a single parent working as a basic labourer to raise Yinh and her two younger siblings. Keeping her children in high school was a huge challenge for her mum, let alone sending Yinh to university.
But Yinh became Foxglove’s first higher education scholarship student.
Now eighteen months later, she attends university in Kompot. She has completed her first year in an accounting degree and received extra tuition in English and Chinese languages. By attending a local university, Yinh can continue to live at home with her family.
In addition, her enrolment as enabled her to secure a job as a teller for a microfinance business. This is giving her great experience and helping her to cover her own living and travel costs.
Words don’t need to say much. We can already see a growing look of confidence that tells us her future is bright.