ABOUT The Book
Diving Deep, Going Far is a 'reality novel' about a new generation of women leaders in Cambodia. The title is based on a Khmer proverb that says women "cannot dive deep or go far."
For the book, over 25 young women and several young men were interviewed. Breaking through the traditional expectations placed on them by their society, each of these women follow their dream of creating a better future for themselves and their country.
Their stories were combined in four main characters, pictured on the right. While each of the characters is fictional, their stories are real. To learn more about the women we interviewed and other stories of leadership in Cambodia, head over to our blog.
10% of our income is used to support female leadership in Cambodia. In addition, we provide free Khmer-language copies to schools, libraries and organizations. Learn more here.
NARY grows up in a rural village in southern Cambodia. When she is five years old, her aunt tells her she can't become a doctor and cure her grandmother. "Girls don't become doctors," her aunt says. "You can become a nurse, and then you can help the doctor to cure your grandmother."
SOKLIN leaves her family to live in the capital Phnom Penh, with nothing more than twenty dollars and a dream to become the first person from her village to get a university education.
NIKA is thirteen when her mother passes away, leaving her and her siblings to fend for themselves. Her sister and nine-year old brother offer to find jobs so Nika can stay in school and "become the smartest girl in the world."
RATANA is a popular radio DJ who fights against arranged marriages and for women's freedom of choice. With her partner, Chan, she tries to rewrite the country's conservative relationship standards.
About The AUTHORS
Menno DE BLOCK moved to Cambodia from his native country the Netherlands in 2014. He has worked in strategy consulting and sales, and as a freelance consultant in the social enterprise sector. Inspired by the drive and determination of many young women in his new home country, Menno decided to write his first book. Soon after conducting the first interviews, he asked Kunthea to help him co-create Diving Deep, Going Far. At the end of 2018, after more than four years in Cambodia, Menno followed his then-fiancée and now-wife Allison to their new hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. From there, he continues to support female leaders in Cambodia and elsewhere, both through spreading the message in Diving Deep, Going Far and through online coaching and mentorship.
CHAN Kunthea is a feminist popular educator and has been working with JASS (Just Associates) Southeast Asia as its Regional Program Coordinator since 2012. She has vast experience in coordinating with local partners in Southeast Asia to empower and promote women’s leadership in the social, political, and economic spheres. Before her current role, Kunthea served as the Program Coordinator of the Committee to Promote Women in Politics and worked for SILAKA. In 2010, she co-founded the Cambodian Young Women’s Empowerment Network, a group that focuses on empowering young Cambodian women to demand their rights. Kunthea is also a committed single mother of two wonderful sons.
