SAVONG FOUNDATION

The Savong Foundation\u0027s primary goal is to enroll as many students as possible into a private high school, university program or vocational apprenticeships. We recently expanded our focus to include cultural musical instruction with a goal of keeping this form of music thriving in the region. The targeted group of students mostly live in Northern Cambodia (Siem Reap or surrounding rural areas). Through our local administrative staff and foreign volunteers, we interview each student to assess their application and determine if they will do reasonably well in our programs.\n\nEvery student\u0027s performance is closely monitored and is afforded adult mentorship. Our obvious intent is provide the education and skills necessary for our students to achieve more for themselves and their families with the hope that they pursue a professional career.

Each student is interviewed by local administrative staff (to include foreign volunteers and school administrators) to determine their academic aptitude and provide a general sense as to whether or not they\u0027re truly committed to excelling in their school work. Students are required to take a placement examination to better assess their appropriate grade level. Living accommodations are provided for those students whose families live outside of town or are so impoverished that their families simply cannot provide for them.\r\n\r\nUniversity students are processed in a similar manner. Depending on their needs, a personal laptop will be provided.\r\n\r\nIn all cases, student performances are closely monitored. High school students take monthly exams and their grades are reported shortly thereafter. University students write exams approximately every six months. A board member acts as a \u0022grade monitor\u0022 and keeps up to date records on all students. We have a paid scholarship manager in Cambodia who will assist struggling students and help monitor the progress of all the students.

Our principal point of contact to ensure everything is operating smoothly is Svay Savong, the man for whom we named this charity. Savong has long term experience with managing NGOs and working with the government of Cambodia. \r\n\r\nIn addition to Svay Savong, there exists a staff of local Cambodians who assists us as well. We directly pay one assistant to supervise student activities, report their grades and assist students needing help with their studies or in their personal lives.\r\n\r\nOur Board consists of all volunteers who pay for their own expenses and travel. At least two of our four members visit Cambodia on an annual basis to get a firsthand perspective on our activities and impact.\r\n\r\nWe liaison with corporate sponsors to increase our fundraising and awareness. We maintain an impressive Facebook page and charity website.

We now have approximately 30 students enrolled in high school, university or vocational apprenticeship programs. We have better streamlined the costs of operating dormitory facilities, employed support staff to manage efforts on the ground, and keep administrative costs to an absolute minimum. This is no small feat considering this project began with a simple conversation and an idea just a few years ago with almost no funding at all.\r\n\r\nOur Board members are committed to the project and have each volunteered their time and taken on additional support responsibilities. Costs are now audited and published. Students are now interviewed and required to sign a contract outlining our expectations and conditional support. Student performances are now monitored monthly and a detailed \u0022trending\u0022 report is publish. Sponsors are kept up to date in real time. Our social media presence has grown tremendously.\r\n\r\nWhat started out as a few people struggling to get the project off the ground (less than $10,000 annual budget) has grown to over $50,000 annually and literally dozens of international supporters. We look forward to continuing to support additional students. Our next target is to enroll and support 50 students.