Pha Nammouy is a grade 4 student at Dom Nak Krobie primary school in Koh Kong province, Cambodia. She lives with her father, who has a disability, and two brothers.

The family is very poor, so Nammouy contributes to the household with the money she earns from washing clothes and dishes for other people.

This work as well as house chores and caring for her father take time away from her studies; in addition, her family doesn’t have enough money to cover school-related costs. Nammouy’s dream is to become a teacher in her village, and she strives to study despite the challenges she faces.

A GPE program implementation grant (with UNICEF as grant agent), together with funding from development partners such as the EU, USAID and UNICEF is supporting the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to improve the allocation of government scholarships, to support the most vulnerable students – including Nammouy – to stay in school.

However, until 2021, the scholarships were arriving late, even preventing children from starting the school year on time.

Thanks to the GPE grant, the development partners were able to support the Ministry of Education in ensuring that scholarships were available at the beginning of the school year, when children most need them.

These efficiency gains have continued to improve, even after grant implementation - a great success for the program’s sustainability and long-term potential.

The scholarships, equivalent to $60 per primary school student per year, target poor and vulnerable students and take into consideration gender disparities and academic performance.

Watch how Nammouy’s life has changed thanks to the program.