PN receives support for its female students in Cambodia. A nice recognition of its action towards girl’s access to education and employment.
Promoting gender equality and women’s independence is the third millennium development goal for the years following 2015.
Although an increasing number of children go to school, the gap between the sexes still exists. In Asia, girls’ schooling remains slightly lower in primary schools, access to secondary and university education is extremely unequal and girls run into a great many barriers. In I.T. (Information Technology) training, this trend is particularly strong. For example, in Cambodia, only 6% of I.T students are women.
It is perfectly logical that this inequality should be replicated in the business world. It is a reality in numerous sectors, but even stronger in the I.T. sector, which is often perceived as a masculine universe, discouraging young women from embarking on it. There are numerous obstacles: cultural traditions and stereotypes, socio-psychological factors, unequal recruitment by businesses, etc.
We are convinced that the professional integration of women is a priority and will be a key factor for future generations in Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. So, in order to extract them from poverty in the long-term, Passerelles numériques aims to take in a ratio of at least 50% girls (or a maximum of two-thirds) in each of our Centers.
Two french corporate Foundations – Fondation L’Oréal and Fondation RAJA-Danièle Marcovici – also share this conviction and decided to sponsor scholarships of girls from PN Cambodia.
Created in 2006, the RAJA-Danièle Marcovici foundation supports programs and actions in favor of women, in France and around the world. According to the Foundation, “acting for women is contributing to the progress of mankind. Striving to render the living conditions of women around the world better is a priority and a never ending quest.”
The grant from the RAJA – Danièle Marcovici Foundation supports all training costs (from October 2015 to September 2017) of three girl students of the Class of 2017 in Cambodia.
The L’Oréal Foundation has been supporting women around the world for nearly 20 years. It promotes strong values: Empower. Inform. Support. Accompany. Change perceptions.
Chanlinda Chea, who carried out a volunteering mission for PN in Cambodia during the summer of 2015, responded to the call for projects “citizen-time” open to L’Oréal employees engaged in a charity. Through this grant, the L’Oréal Foundation finances the IT training costs for girls from PN Cambodia Class of 2016, who will graduate in October 2016.