Change a life, become a JWOC sponsor!

To all of the JWOC family

This new academic year JWOC would like to support 17 new students in their ambition to attend university and better their prospects.

But we can only do this with your help! Please consider becoming a scholarship student sponsor this year.

JWOC Scholarships change lives - not only of the students themselves but also of their families and the people they help through their volunteering. You can be a part of making that change. Read the quotes from our previous graduates below to find out how they and others have benefitted from their JWOC scholarship.

 

 Khoeurn - Graduated in 2013 and current Free Classes Program Manager.

"It helped me a lot with my studies, my quality of life ,and my goals. In fact, before getting a scholarship, my studies were poor because I had to spend my time to earn money for my school fees and to look after my family. After I got the scholarship, my study, and family condition and my living have changed for the better. At the end I achieved my goal. Now I have improved my life. Moreover, I have participated in developing and helping my society by volunteering at JWOC."

Kanha - Graduated in 2010 and now a successful self-employed tour guide studying for her Masters.

 

"JWOC scholarship has provided me skills and experiences and helped get in to a new life. I wouldn't have been like I am today if JWOC hadn't provided me a scholarship. This program encouraged me to study hard. JWOC also helped improving me communication, business and English skills. Through training courses done by JWOC staff and volunteers were very useful adding to my degree. I have learnt a lot from JWOC staff and friends while going to the fields and connected to the local people. I made a lot of friends from there too. I'm so glad that we can help people when they really need it. Both programs I was involved in were helping the community, which is a good thing to involve more young people."

     

Sponsoring a student and changing their life costs $500 per year of their degree. This covers all their fees and books, plus all the additional life skills training offered by JWOC..

JWOC selects students on merit and monitors students' grades and attendance, so you can be sure your donation is put to good use. Your student will also update you monthly by email to let you know how they are doing with their studies, jobs and volunteering.

If you would like to find out more about the Scholarship Programme please visit this page on our website or reply to info@journeyswithinourcommunity.org . We also have a FAQs page to answer some the most common questions.

  If you have decided to help JWOC change lives just follow the link below to make your donation.

http://www.journeyswithinourcommunity.org/support/donate/ 

You can donate online or by check, marking your donation 'scholarship'. We ask you make a 4 year commitment to your student. If you are able to send sponsorship for the full four years that is wonderful, but don't worry if not, you can donate for each year individually. Please make your donation before 1^st August to make sure we can match you with a student for this coming academic year.

I look forward to welcoming you as a new sponsor and introducing you to your student in September!

Very best wishes,

Alexandra

JWOC Managing Director

An Inspiring Organization

Sarah, our Education and Volunteer Manager has been with us for 9 months, she talks to us about her experiences with the Free Classes team and how JWOC has inspired her and so many people in our community.

During my time as the Education and Volunteer Manager I have been lucky enough to be working with many wonderful and inspiring people.  My background is in teaching, having taught in London for 3 years and in Sudan for 2 years. 

I am constantly humbled by the amazing people at JWOC.  What makes JWOC special is that people are helping themselves improve their life opportunities, JWOC simply helps by giving the tools.  Our Scholarship students are remarkable, each with their own personal story of how they have overcome enormous odds and shown immense dedication to their education and bettering their lives in difficult circumstances.  Our Scholarship students not only want to improve their chances but also have a passion for helping others.  They truly are incredible as demonstrated through the energy with which they manage their studies at university, working to cover their living costs as well as volunteering in our Free Classes, Microfinance, Clean Water and Community Liaison and Assistance Programs.

I arrived in 2013 at an opportune time to see last year's Year 4 students graduate.  It was inspiring to hear their stories and how much they had grown and developed during their time with JWOC.  I also got to meet some of the previous graduates and find out some of their success stories and find out just how much being a Scholarship student at JWOC has helped as a catalyst for their personal journeys and that of their families. 

Within the Free Classes team I work with some amazing, motivated and dedicated people, always happy to do that bit extra and help.  Our previous Free Classes Program Manager was with JWOC for 8 years, as a Scholarship student, Intern and Free Classes Program Manager and lived and breathed Free Classes helping it to become what it is now.  Khoeurn, our new Free Classes Program Manager, graduated from our Scholarship Program last year and in fact gave a beautiful speech for his graduating class of 2013 and is a testament to the difference a Scholarship can make.  He is inspired to help his community through education.  Kea, our Free Classes Support Officer, is a current Scholarship student in Year 3 who has grown in confidence through JWOC's teacher development and always tackles his work with a smile and a joke.  Nesa, our Child Development Coordinator and Librarian as well as Art Class team leader, is extremely professional as well as innovative in coming up with creative ideas for children to learn whilst having fun.  As well as these key members we have the sewing team, the Computer classes team, the Art class team, the Under 8's team and the English classes team.  The Free Classes team is always willing to go above and beyond their roles.  It has been great to share and be part of the Free Classes team growing.  It is exciting looking to the future to more opportunities for growth for the Free Classes team at the same time as enhancing our educational provision for the community.

As well as working with an incredible team it has been inspiring to hear how JWOC has touched people who have come into contact with or have heard of our organization, such as Jane, Pat, Janet, Allen, Toni, April, Mark and Erin to name but a few.  Jane and Pat started by sponsoring a student and have become increasingly more involved spending time volunteering with JWOC over the last few years helping to build capacity.   Jane is now our Executive Director and a fantastic advocate for JWOC’s work.  Janet and Allen have continuously supported JWOC throughout the years, especially through their thoughtful and encouraging emails with JWOC's family of staff, Scholarship students and graduates; they know JWOC’s extended family better than anyone.  Toni, Mark and April are some of the conscientious tour managers from our longtime supporters Collette tours who have seen JWOC grow year by year from humble beginnings to reaching over 700 students a year.  Erin is one of the newest members of our board who will be coming to volunteer this month and help build capacity at JWOC; she has been coming up with some creative and generous ways of fundraising for JWOC as well as giving her time.  JWOC really seems to enrich people's lives and inspire people to want to do better - it certainly has for me!

New Experiences and New challenges - thank you JWOC

Hello! I am Vuth Vanna, a 2^nd year scholarship student at JWOC attending USEA university. I want to tell you how volunteering with the Free Classes Program at JWOC has helped my studies. It is a wonderful feeling to be studying both at JWOC and at university because I feel as though I am constantly increasing my capacity and knowledge in my field. What I love about JWOC is the hands on training I receive through teacher development workshops each month, as well as receiving workshops in study skills, health, first aid and so on. They are so useful, allowing me to sharpen my knowledge and have new experiences in life

Frankly speaking, if JWOC hadn’t sponsored me to study at university I would never have had the opportunity. I wouldn’t have had access to all this knowledge and new experiences; life would have 

 been so different.

Recently, I feel delighted with myself because I have a better job and I have the ability to support myself and even a little extra to help my family improve their lifestyle and living conditions.

I love JWOC and I love the experience of volunteering there, I love the challenge that it provides and the experiences that it creates. For me JWOC is the home of knowledge and it has allowed me to grow as a student and a person.

Executive Director, Jane Price, Talks about Her Personal Journey with JWOC

My early involvement with JWOC:

In December of 2007, we traveled from our posting in Beijing to visit Siem Reap, tour the archeological highlights and participate in the Angkor Wat Half Marathon. We stayed at Journeys Within Boutique Hotel and met JWOC founders, Brandon and Andrea Ross. They described the philosophy of the non-profit they established and shared information about how I could get involved. After leaving Cambodia, I decided to sponsor a JWOC university student because of my belief in the transformational power of education. I enjoyed corresponding with my JWOC scholarship student; this exchange provided me a chance to get to know my highly-motivated and hard-working student better, understand Cambodian culture and share a bit about US culture with my student.


What impressed me most about JWOC:

The way the non-profit was structured to be sustainable and scalable, with local program managers and the scholarship program at its heart. This approach evolved from the influence of the founders and JWOC's motto, "See a problem, solve a problem." JWOC's committed and skilled staff deliver well-run programs that encourage beneficiary engagement beyond simply being a recipient. What sets JWOC apart from other non-profits is the scholarship program; not only does JWOC offer university scholarship to deserving, financially-challenged Cambodian students, JWOC provides mentoring, training and real-life experiences via volunteering in and providing service to their communities. Witnessing the blossoming of JWOC scholarship students from years 1-4 through graduation is a joy; the student's confidence and capacity grow exponentially. JWOC scholarship graduates are well-rounded and well-prepared to contribute to the well being of their families, community and country. For example, the first JWOC student I sponsored graduated from Build Bright University in Siem Reap, Cambodia and is now a public school teacher, tour guide and studying for her Masters degree in Education.


How I became more involved with JWOC

As an former sales and marketing executive and now as an executive coach, I enjoy travel and exploring cultures, so I arranged to volunteer with JWOC for a month in 2010 to provide life coaching to JWOC scholarship students, management training for JWOC staff and skills workshops for JWOC students. My initial month in Siem Reap with JWOC impressed me deeply. Since then I joined the JWOC Board, contributing as JWOC Board Chair and now as JWOC's Executive Director. Using my ultra-running events as a catalyst, I enlisted the support of my generous friends and family and have sponsored additional JWOC scholars in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar. Everyone in the JWOC family deeply inspires me; the friendships and relationships I have made enrich my life. I derive tremendous satisfaction from being part of such a committed team, including JWOC's Board, staff, scholars, donors and global volunteers; I feel drawn to return each year to Siem Reap to volunteer at JWOC and witness JWOC's continuing progress and positive impact.

My invitation to others

As the saying goes, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." I thank every friend of JWOC for being a positive force for change in the world through their on-going financial support. I invite you to deepen your engagement with JWOC; there are so many ways to help. Contact either me or Alex Plummer, JWOC's Managing Director; we'll be delighted to exchange ideas.

Neesa gives her thoughts on her first 3 months at JWOC

My name is Khuon sonesa. I have been working for JWOC for around 3 months as a Child Development Coordinator and Librarian. I am also a part-time teacher here. I am very glad to be a staff member at JWOC. Being a Child Development Coordinator and Librarian is a new experience for me and I enjoy the responsibility that comes with it. Every day, I have to teach and find activities to do with children in the library. They are very special. They like doing new things and enjoy hands-on experience. And I also really enjoy doing new things and playing with them especially on Sundays when JWOC runs its weekly Art Class for children to come and get more skills and knowledge about art projects. This class is led by my team and I. It’s a very special class that I really enjoy and I am relishing the opportunity to find creative ways to inspire the children of the community.

What makes me really love JWOC is that it has become a pillar in the community where real change happens. I really love the slogan of JWOC “See the problem, solve the problem”. By seeing this slogan it seems like JWOC is the Hope and the Help for other people. Moreover, all the staff at JWOC are very friendly and warm to me. They are like my brothers and sisters.

Since I have worked here I have joined join four workshops, two times as a participant and two more times as a speaker. All of those workshops have been very useful for me because it gave me many new ideas, experiences and also helped build up my confidence in working and teaching.

I have only been working at JWOC for 3 months but I can see how JWOC is the strength and hope of our community.