| By Kong Phano and Yun Monyrath, ADRA Cambodia
Sim Song, 20, grew up in Krasang village, the third of four children in a family that made its living from farming. Like many of her neighbors, she grew up helping her parents in the rice fields between lessons, determined to finish school despite her family’s limited income.
In 2025, she passed her Grade 12 exam, a milestone she had worked hard for. But passing the exam was not enough to open the door to university. Continuing her education would have meant moving to the provincial town and paying for rent, school fees, and daily meals, costs her farming family simply could not afford. Watching her friends leave to continue their studies while she stayed behind, Sim Song made the difficult decision to give up on further education and return full-time to farm work, believing her chance for a different future had closed.
That belief began to change the day a village health volunteer stopped to ask about her plans.
“Are you still studying?” the volunteer asked.
“I’ve stopped,” Sim Song admitted. “I passed Grade 12, but I don’t have the money to continue. I’ve already decided to stay home and help my parents with the farm.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the volunteer replied. “I know our situation isn’t like others’.” Then she asked, “If an organization offered you a week of training, would you be willing to go?”
Hope flickered back. “I would like that,” Sim Song said. “What organization? Where would I study? What would I learn? And would there be work afterward?”
The volunteer explained: the organization was ADRA. Sim Song would need to fill out a short application form, and if selected, ADRA’s staff would guide her on what would come next, including possible work opportunities.
That evening, Sim Song waited for her parents to return from the rice field to ask their permission. They agreed, and she submitted her application. Shortly after, she was accepted into a training at ADRA’s Jombok Hoas Adventure Learning Center in Romnies commune, Roveang district, Preah Vihear province, marking the beginning of her involvement with the TOGETHER project.
A New Direction, Made Possible by ADRA
Through the TOGETHER project, village health volunteers and community committees introduced Sim Song and other young people to the value of continued learning and available scholarship opportunities. She went on to take part in REFLECT and CoLMEAL activities organized by ADRA, sessions that build community members’ confidence, communication, and leadership skills. For Sim Song, this participation restored something she thought she had lost: the belief that she still had a future worth building.
After completing the youth leadership training at Jombok Hoas, she did not stop there. She continued engaging with ADRA Cambodia’s TOGETHER project and was appointed as a youth group leader in her community. In this role, she took on the task of reaching out to young women aged 10 to 19 who had dropped out of school, encouraging them to form discussion groups and stay connected to learning and each other.
Beyond leading these groups, Sim Song sought out new opportunities to support her family. She was offered a position as a contract kindergarten teacher, work that speaks directly to a dream she has held for a long time: to become a teacher. She sees her current role guiding youth discussion groups as the first step of that dream taking shape, giving her real, hands-on experience in community leadership.
Growing Confidence, One Meeting at a Time
Sim Song is candid that leadership has not always come easily. In her early days facilitating meetings with teachers and other adults, she often felt nervous, worried about saying the wrong thing. Over time, through repeated practice at community gatherings and capacity-building sessions, she has grown more comfortable finding her voice and speaking up.
She also sees change taking root around her. Young people in her community who have joined the discussion groups are more willing to share their opinions, communicate better with others, and speak openly about topics like health, gender-based violence, and nutrition. They have become more aware of environmental hygiene and more motivated to keep learning, she says, though she acknowledges that a small number of youth remain hesitant to open up, still holding back out of shyness when it comes to sensitive topics like physical development.
For Sim Song, this progress matters because the world keeps moving forward, and she believes young people need to keep pace with it, continuously building knowledge and experience to improve life for themselves and their families.
Looking Ahead
Sim Song’s biggest remaining hope is steady, stable work that allows her to support her parents more comfortably. In the meantime, she continues to build on the skills and confidence she has gained: leading her peer group, teaching young children, and staying engaged with her community.
In her own words, addressed to ADRA’s donors:
“Thank you to the teachers and to ADRA for helping me gain knowledge and support that allowed me to change how I carry myself, both as a leader for myself and within my community and society today.”
Donor Acknowledgement
ADRA Cambodia is implementing the “uniting TOwards Gender Equality for enjoyment of women’s and girls’ Total HEalth and Rights” (TOGETHER) project thanks to generous funding from the Government of Canada. Supported by ADRA Canada, SickKids and Salanga, this gender-transformative 6-year project will ensure that nearly two hundred thousand girls, women, boys, and men in Cambodia, Kenya, the Philippines, and Uganda are enabled to exercise their health-related human rights.