Spreading Gender Equality and Personal Leadership Throughout Cambodia

Thanks to the generous support of the Heinrich Böll Stiftung Cambodia and Oxfam Cambodia, we have been able to print 5,000 copies of the Khmer version of Diving Deep, Going Far, to be given away for free. The objective of this project is to reach readers around the country that would not otherwise know about or be able to buy Diving Deep, Going Far, and teach them about important concepts such as gender equality, personal leadership, and critical thinking. In addition, we hope to inspire youth and women around the country to dream beyond the traditional expectations that society places on them.

We are working hard to find partners to help distribute these copies to the people that would benefit from them most. If you work for or know a school, library or organization in Cambodia that would benefit from free copies, please submit your donation request here. Keep reading after the pictures for a snapshot of the kinds of organizations that have received donations so far.

The ASEAN Youth Leaders Association - Cambodia received 40 copies for the group of focal youth they are working with. These youth leaders come from provinces around the country, as well as the capital Phnom Penh, and are taking their copy back to their communities, where they are using it to inspire the local youth to follow their dreams.

The Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation is a trade union that works in a sector where many, especially female, workers are vulnerable to exploitation. We are providing them with an unlimited supply of copies of Diving Deep, Going Far, to be used in their outreach program, where staff connect with women working in bars, restaurants, KTVs and other places.

Young teachers from Teach For Cambodia have received 70 copies to use in their high-school classrooms in Phnom Penh, reaching around 500 students. The teachers are lending copies to the students and using several educational exercises to encourage the students to write and share their own life stories.

The staff at Penh Lenh, a social enterprise in Phnom Penh that employs female artisans from marginalized backgrounds to create sustainable and ethical jewelry. We donated a copy of Diving Deep, Going Far to each of their staff members, to encourage them to continue their journey and be positive examples in their communities.

Teachers at the Singapore Helm Institute of Education (SHINE) International School in Siem Reap are using Diving Deep, Going Far in their classrooms, in order to have students practice their reading and listening skills and teach them about their culture, history, rights and future. We provided SHINE with 30 free Khmer copies for their younger students, and 30 discounted English copies for their older students.

Keep an eye on this blog for more examples of how Diving Deep, Going Far is being used to inspire youth and women around Cambodia! For more information about our book donations, or to request free copies for your school, library or organization in Cambodia, click here. If you are elsewhere in the world and would like to use Diving Deep, Going Far in your program or curriculum, please contact us directly.

Images courtesy of AYLA and Sreyleap Taing.