Breaking the Cycle of Poverty: The Transformative Power of Education in Cambodia
When I arrived in Cambodia in 2018 as a humanitarian, I had little knowledge of the country and its dark past. I moved to Cambodia not out of any particular interest in the country but because I was familiar with Southeast Asian culture, and I knew there would be plenty of humanitarian work available.
Upon my arrival, I began to grasp how tough living conditions were for the Cambodian people. The average daily income was about $10. Many couldn’t afford proper housing and lived in traditional Cambodian wooden houses on stilts, often sharing the space with large extended families in the middle of rice paddies. Access to basic medical care was limited, and many young Cambodians had to travel to Thailand just for checkups. A lot of the young people I worked with had paid their way through university by selling items on the streets throughout their childhood, painstakingly saving a few thousand dollars over the years to afford higher education. Poverty was clearly prevalent in Cambodian society, but it never occurred to me to wonder how the country had reached this state.
It wasn’t until an Australian colleague I was working with asked if I knew much about the Khmer Rouge that I began to connect the dots. “The Khmer Rouge — what’s that?” I asked. My colleague responded, “You’ve come all the way to Cambodia, and you don’t know what the Khmer Rouge is? Go home and educate yourself.”
The Khmer Rouge was a radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 under the leadership of dictator Pol Pot. This regime sought to transform Cambodia into a classless, agrarian society by forcibly relocating urban populations to rural labor camps. They abolished money, private property, and traditional culture, targeting intellectuals, professionals, and religious figures, whom they perceived as threats to their vision of a homogenous agrarian society. Pol Pot’s social engineering policies led to widespread famine, forced labor, and mass executions, resulting in the deaths of about 2 million people — approximately a quarter of Cambodia’s population at the time.
Among the many institutions the Khmer Rouge sought to destroy, the Cambodian education system was systematically dismantled. Schools were shut down, educational materials were destroyed, and educators were targeted for persecution, with an estimated 75% of the teaching force perishing during this period. The regime viewed education with hostility, considering it a remnant of the old society they sought to eliminate. While some education for children continued, it primarily focused on indoctrination rather than genuine learning. This destruction left an entire generation of children with little to no formal education, resulting in widespread illiteracy and a severe setback to the nation’s intellectual and cultural development.
Cambodia’s education system still faces significant challenges today, many of which can be traced back to the Khmer Rouge era. The destruction of schools and educational facilities during that time has had a lasting impact. Reconstruction of educational infrastructure is ongoing, but many rural regions still lack adequate resources. The loss of experienced educators also contributed to the struggle to deliver high-quality education.
After learning about Cambodia’s dark history, it became clear to me why the nation was in its current state. Many young Cambodians struggle to gain access to adequate education, leaving them trapped in cycles of poverty. While there have been improvements, significant challenges remain. According to UNICEF, nearly 25% of Grade 3 children cannot write a single word in a dictation test. In rural areas, there is a notable scarcity of qualified teachers, and many educators have limited training, impacting the quality of instruction. Resources and facilities, such as access to computers and the internet, remain inadequate in many schools. Socioeconomic barriers also persist, with many families unable to afford the costs of education, leading to high dropout rates. Children with disabilities, from ethnic minorities, or in rural areas often face even greater obstacles to receiving a basic education.
While education in Cambodia is improving, particularly with the help of international aid and initiatives, it still faces challenges that ripple through the workplace and society as a whole.
I initially went to Cambodia simply wanting to help, without knowing what kind of humanitarian work I would do. I eventually gravitated toward educational humanitarianism because I saw firsthand how important a good, high-quality education is for young Cambodians. Education is the key difference between remaining in the cycle of poverty or breaking free and joining Cambodia’s growing middle class. My friend Kim, for example, came from a struggling background but managed to save money throughout his childhood by selling items on the streets. Over the years, he saved enough to put himself through university, which transformed his life. Today, he manages a hotel and earns a middle-class salary.
Another inspiring story is of a Cambodian I worked for in my first year living there. He came from an impoverished background and didn’t even have the chance to attend primary school because he was too busy foraging in the jungle to help feed his family. One day, while selling souvenirs near the temples, he met an American woman who took a liking to him and promised to pay for his university degree when he turned 18. He accepted her offer, completed his university education, and now runs a successful hospitality and technology company in Siem Reap.
These stories of struggle, resilience, determination, and the transformative power of education inspired me to pursue educational humanitarianism. Witnessing how education could change lives reinforced my belief that it is one of the most potent tools for fighting poverty.