Mithona
Small scholarships for big opportunities
Even in Cambodia, a day has only 24 hours - far too few for our young teacher Sovann in the face of his greatest test. The school-leaving exam was coming up, a single week that would decide the future and the great expectations his parents had of their only son. I have never seen anyone study so diligently, 20 hours a day, kept upright by the strength of determination alone. Then the discovery: the school mobile phone has an alarm clock! If you enter 03:30, you are reliably woken up before dawn and can learn formulas in the light of the oil lamp before the roosters even crow. For Sovann, this was a big step forward: before, he had slept outside to let the mosquitoes bite him awake! But the biggest step he took was after successfully passing his Abitur: with a Mithona scholarship, Sovann is now studying Business Administration in Phnom Penh.
Hendrik Heinze, Munich
Scholarships with a future
Sovann's studies were made possible by Sorya members, who created the Mithona scholarship program and support him financially. We are looking for sponsors who want to support students with monthly contributions. Association funds are not used for the Mithona program. Like Sovann, some scholarship holders will be able to work with us as teachers from Monday to Friday. This benefits the quality of our teaching and keeps the scholarship costs low.
A degree typically lasts four years and costs $100 a month, including fees, books, and living expenses. We believe this money is well invested. They enable a very talented, ambitious girl or boy to improve their own life and that of their family through their own efforts and to do what they are most qualified and interested in. It is very important for Cambodia to have an honest and educated generation that is a little less vulnerable to corruption and lawlessness. small amount.
In the world our young people come from, things are predetermined, by tradition, economic necessity or the lack of alternatives. With a degree, Sovann and the others embark on their most exciting journey. For days we drive with them through the universities, comparing brochures, prices and preferences. In this confusing diversity, we practise something new together: having a choice. They can study what they want - but they have to find that out first. Cambodian students mostly see their future and that of their country in the fields of development, business, English, tourism and computers. After their education, all paths are open to them. They will work for the government, for an aid organisation or for their own travel company.
Mithona means June. We started the Mithona project in June 2004. Every June, high school graduation is approaching and many Cambodian youths are in great excitement about what the future holds for them. Every June again, we want to have found enough supporters for two more hopefuls.
