Scholarships for Opportunities
At Helping Hands, we try to ensure that children and young people are able to access opportunities that they otherwise may not be able to. So far, the scholarship programme has helped 30 students through their degrees and these young people have gone on to secure good jobs and better futures for their families. Lonn Lap is one of the young people supported by the programme and his story illustrates the difference that such a programme can have!
A Helping Hand to Catch Up
Lap started attending Helping Hands in 2007, when he was already 18 years old. His parents’ monthly income from farming amounted to less than $30 a month, so working and caring for his 6 siblings took precedence over attending school. For this reason, Lap was well behind his age group academically, when he first started. However, 2 years at Helping Hands brought him up to speed and by 2011 he finished high school!
Lap had received some medical training during military school, so he knew he wanted to work in the field of medicine and applied to Nursing School. At the time, he was working odd jobs, including providing basic medical care to villagers who were ill or injured. He was managing to scrape together $50-60 per month, not enough to support his family and pay for university, so he applied for – and was awarded – a scholarship from Helping Hands.
Graduation Success
In 2018, Lap graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and midwifery and got a job at a nearby hospital straight away. Lap still lives in Prasat Char with his wife and daughter and now works as a nurse in the army, earning over $300 a month! He gives back to the community and Helping Hands whenever he can: giving medical advice to the villagers and running first aid training and health & hygiene classes at the school.
"My life has changed a lot because Helping Hands Cambodia supported me to study at University…if I didn't have a scholarship to study, I wouldn’t have a good job as I do today.’’
Lonn Lap, University Scholarship Recipient
A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out
Lap is just one of the students for whom the scholarship programme has made a real difference! Three of our teachers at Helping hands - including our project coordinator, Sopheap - are also university graduates who received support from our generous donors.
If you are interested in helping students like Lap and the others, please contact us to learn about current scholarship opportunities available. Alternatively, please click the donate button below to offer general support to Helping Hands and all our programmes.
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