WOW - HUGE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS SUPPORTED US! We have reached our first target of £800 to fund a Cambodian student through her first university year. A contribution to her second year would be amazing. Please keep giving. Every little helps.

We're walking 100 miles in May

I’m a member of Soroptimist International Chester, a women's service organisation. A group of our Club members are each walking 100 miles in May to raise £800 so that Chanta Savey, a 19 year old Cambodian student, can pursue her dream of a university education.

Chanta lives in one of the villages around Siem Reap supported by the Cambodian Community Dream Organisation (CCDO), a charity making a huge difference to the lives of impoverished families through education and empowerment. On a visit to the CCDO in February, I spoke to village women who are turning their lives around and raising themselves up out of grinding poverty. I saw their children attending school. I witnessed the pride, new found confidence and sheer joy in the women’s faces as they described their achievements and future hopes.

I was moved, humbled. I was also very impressed by the dedication and commitment of the all- Cambodian CCDO ground team. I wanted to help and my Soroptimist club was immediately behind me. Women and girls' education being a top priority for Soroptimists, we asked CCDO about sponsoring a young woman through higher education and they soon found a deserving candidate.

Chanta is a bright, promising high school student who desperately wants to go to university. This is completely out of her reach since her widowed mother’s only income to support the family is from selling mangoes at the market. Giving a girl like Chanta a university education will have a knock -on effect throughout her community. Not only will her future and that of her extended family be financially secure. The skills she learns will be passed on to others, she will be an inspiration to other young women and potentially open up new opportunities in education.

Join us or sponsor us and help make Chanta's dream a reality.