Only 5.4% of Cambodian villages have lower secondary schools [1], which means that students often have to travel far distances to get to school.  Walking for kilometers is not optimal in Cambodia's seasonal heat and rain, so unless students have access to transportation, they are at-risk of dropping out of school.  In November 2007, we identified two sponsored 7th grade students -- Kagna and Sokphanet -- who were without a reliable means to get to class and took action.  Here are the stories of Kagna and Sokphanet:

Kagna
Kagna is a star student.  She earned one of the top scores on her primary school final exam in July 2006.  And, as of October 2007, she ranked third in her 7th grade class. 

Life has not been easy for Kagna, though.  She, her mother, and two of her four siblings are land-squatters on a small, flooded lot in Khnar Chas Village where they've constructed a stilted, grass hut.  Kagna's mother runs a small shop out of their home, but her sales are irregular due to her chronic health problems.  Kagna's parents have divorced and she no longer hears from her father.

Kagna's home is more than 4 km from her school.  For the first several weeks of the 2007-08 school year, Kagna rode on the back of her friend's bicycle to and from class.  However, her friend often finished school before Kagna, leaving her to walk home alone, sometimes after dark.  It was not safe.  Since we provided Kagna a bicycle, she can go to and from school safely, on her own schedule.  Kagna is thankful for SCC's support and admits that without it, she probably wouldn't be in school.

Sokphanet
Sokphanet, age 17, is also in 7th grade.  He's a diligent student.  In fact, whenever we visit his home, we find him with his nose in a book!

Sokphanet lives with his mother and step-father in Svay Dungkum Village, near Siem Reap town.  His family is landless; they are caretakers for another's property.  Sokphanet's father is ill and unable to work, leaving Sokphanet's mother as the primary income-generator for the family.  She earns an irregular $2.50 USD per day, selling food out of their home.

At the start of the 2007-08 school year, Sokphanet shared his cousin's bicycle to go to and from school.  His cousin used the bicycle in the morning, and Sokphanet used the bike to get to his afternoon classes.  Although the arrangement enabled Sokphanet to attend classes at school, it kept him from morning "private-time" sessions at this teachers' homes, where most subject matter is taught.  As a means of providing Sokphanet access to a full education, SCC equipped him with a bicycle.  Sokphanet is thankful for SCC's support and is determined to study hard to fulfill his dream of becoming an English guide for the Angkor temples near his home.

[1] UN Human Development Report Statistics - Cambodia (2000)