Where are they now? 2016 Church Appeal - Tuk-Tuk Mobile Learning Service

Location: Phnom Penh Project duration: Jan 2016 - Jan 2019

Before the Mobile Tuk-Tuk Education Project began, many families in Phnom Penh had no plans to send their children to school. The city is home to many internal Cambodian migrants who move from regional areas to find better livelihoods. Often moving with their families, these migrants generally have a lower level of education and higher levels of poverty, meaning they struggle to send their children to school.

The Congregation of the Daughters of Charity involved in this project visited the homes of these families, aiming to encourage and convince parents/carers of their children's need to be educated. They assisted families who could not afford fees, and now over 682 children have participated in and received support from the project.

The Tuk-Tuk Mobile Learning Service (MLS) centres were designed to travel to villages around Phnom Penh city, providing children of predominantly migrant families with a place to learn. A consequence of the frequent relocation and resettlement experienced by migrant families in Phnom Penh is the lack of access to onsite schooling for their children. The mobile schools bridge this gap and provide vital education.

Thanks to your generous support, this project has been a great success and continues to provide much-needed education to children in and around Phnom Penh city.

Originally the Tuk-Tuk MLS operated in six locations across the Boeung Trabaek slum area and the Pochentong district.

Due to staff attrition in 2019, changes in leadership and families relocating the service was temporarily put on hold and resumed in February 2020 in two sites in Boeung Trabaek with plans to revive work in past locations soon.

682 children supported through education, financial aid and nutritional program.

The Tuk-Tuk MLS has been a source of care and support for 682 children and their families through informal classes comprising art, games, storytelling, values formation, lessons on hygiene and sanitation and the supplemental feeding program.

Twenty-eight of these children have moved into formal schooling, with some still receiving support from the Educational Assistance Program for needs like uniforms, bags and other school materials.

In this academic year, at least 36 new students have joined the Tuk-Tuk MLS activities. We at Catholic Mission want to thank you for supporting our 2016 Appeal which raised funds for this crucial project and others like it, and and we are excited to see what the Tuk-Tuk MLS achieves in the future.

"We would like to convey our heartfelt thanks to Catholic Mission for the support that enabled us to help the poor children/families we serve. As Christ said “Whatever you do to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you do it for me. Mt. 25:40"

Sister Norma Esperas, Daughter of Charity, Phnom Penh, Cambodia