My name is Sopheap. I am working now with Transparency International Cambodia as a Project Assistant based in Siem Reap. I work with 4 provinces: Siem Reap, Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear and Banteay Meanchey. I work to build youth and citizens, and promote national budget transparency, working with the community and authority also to build capacity.
Before, I was a Scholarship student at JWOC also, I graduated in 2017 and my major was English Literature. After I graduated from University, I got the internship with UK Embassy for 3 months. JWOC helped me a lot. First, my study at University, and then I learned how to work with the community.
Now I got an exchange program to Nepal and Norway for 7 months, about maternal health and HIV. They saw my experience with the community, with youth, managing and training from JWOC.
I will go to Norway first for youth camping, after that I go to Nepal to learn and research about health. After my exchange program, I will have a small project in Cambodia working with people who have HIV. I want to apply for a job in health because especially in the countryside, in my community, women don’t have enough information about their health.
When I go anywhere, I always talk about JWOC, because I always recommend to students in high school to continue their education. For the new generation of students I want to say, don’t give up. I was not a perfect student, not good at English, but I never give up, because what others can do, I can do. The word lazy is not in my vocabulary, I always keep that in my mind and tell it to my students.
Sopheap: You had a dream of wanting to do something in your life. Working very hard at school, getting a scholarship through JWOC and then studying hard to make sure you graduated from University in 2017. It is just 3 years later and already you are in an exchange program that takes you to Nepal and Norway. Well done and every success in the future.
Thank you for your kind words, I will share them with Sopheap. We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments and cannot wait to see what he does next!