From Street Seller to University Graduate

At the age of eight, Sreymai was wandering the streets of Phnom Penh selling cakes to help support her struggling family.

At night, she would turn up to get a free bowl of soup at the Evening Food Program run by Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) in Steung Meanchey, one of the poorest parts of Cambodia. It was often Sreymai’s only proper meal of the day.

Sometimes, she would wander to one of the community schools run by CCF and look through the window, wishing she could join the classroom.

Today, Sreymai is a former CCF student and proud graduate of the American University of Phnom Penh — one of Cambodia’s most prestigious universities - with a Bachelor of Science in Information and Communications Technology.

Her ambition is to become one of the first female tech entrepreneurs in Cambodia. She’s on the way to achieving that dream.

“I’m the first in my family to attend university,” says Sreymai. “It’s been a tough journey for me, and there were many moments when I wanted to give up, but I’m glad that I overcame everything.

“I am proud of myself and cannot wait to see what is next in my journey.”

Sreymai had a tough childhood, with family problems caused by the challenges of living in poverty.

When her parents separated for a while, she moved to Phnom Penh to live with an aunt.

“Growing up in a broken family, you don’t really have someone to rely on. I did dishwashing to earn money, and I sell Cambodian cakes for my aunt.

“My parents were not really present in my childhood. My dad was always away, and my mum was working all the time, selling vegetables at the market. When I woke up in the morning, my mum was gone, and when I went to sleep at night, my mum was coming back from work.”

Sreymai’s luck changed when she was accepted into CCF’s full-time program after she was found crying outside a school.

She stopped selling cakes and finally got her wish to be in a classroom.

Hungry to learn, Sreymai took every opportunity to get involved in academic and extracurricular activities.

She had a particular interest in STEM and became a standout star, excelling in computer science and IT subjects.

All girls at CCF’s high school, the Neeson Cripps Academy, study STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology, and Mathematics) and are encouraged to consider careers in these fields, where girls in Cambodia remain underrepresented.

“CCF has always given me the support and motivation to pursue my dream,” says Sreymai, 22.

In 2019, Sreymai was one of six CCF students selected to attend the Trinity Young Leaders Program (YLP) at the University of Melbourne. She was also part of a winning CCF team in a national robotics competition in 2018. Sreymai later won a place on the Tony Robbins Global Youth Leadership Summit (GYLS) in the US, representing CCF and her country.

In 2020, Sreymai was a member of CCF’s all-girl team, which won the National Grand Prize in the annual Technovation Girls app creation competition.

“I have had lots of opportunities to improve my ability and knowledge. Growing up seeing fewer women in the tech field in Cambodia inspired me to prove that we are just as capable as boys,” says Sreymai.

Sreymai is now utilising her skill set to give back in her own way.

She’s recently been working with CCF’s fundraising team, gaining experience in the exciting world of AI and automation. She’s currently helping to develop an external messaging app for donor communications, utilising the same tools used in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and Australia.

“Sreymai is a shining example of how raw dedication, an open mind, and a willingness to learn mean she is on par, if not ahead, of her peers in much wealthier countries,” says Shane Bakewell, CCF’s Program Manager, Strategic Projects.

Sreymai is driven not only by her ambitions but also by a desire to give her family a better life.

Educating children from the poorest places lifts not just the child and their immediate family out of poverty, but generations to come, creating a lasting legacy.

“My mum has worked really hard since she was young. She lost her mum when she was seven, and then she lost her Dad when she was 11, and that’s when she stopped school and had to start working,” says Sreymai.

“One of my biggest motivations is to see my mum stop working. She deserves to rest.

“With the knowledge and experience that I carry through my journey, I am confident I will walk out of poverty. I will be able to find a good job, while helping myself and my family, and being a role model as a girl in tech and as a person who will help the world through technology.”

None of it would be possible without the support of CCF, she adds.

“CCF changed my life. Growing up in poverty, I believed I was only living to survive, not to dream. But CCF gave me a new life, one filled with passion, purpose, and possibility,” says Sreymai.

“Without CCF, I would still be living in poverty. I don’t think I would even have gone to school.

“I will be forever grateful to CCF for giving me this new life.”