From dedicated volunteers to accomplished professionals

In rural areas of Cambodia, they grew up volunteering for the development of their communities. Through Youth Clubs, they discovered a taste for community service. For many of them, this experience was a real gateway to the academic and professional world. Let's take a closer look at these volunteers.

A stepping stone to the future

Being both a beneficiary and a participant in Sipar's programs has often meant much more than just an extracurricular activity. For young people from modest backgrounds, it has been an opportunity to believe in their abilities and to envision a future they never thought possible.
This is the case for Sreyleak, a former member of a Youth Club in Prey Veng province: “Thank you to Sipar for helping me, a young girl from a disadvantaged background, to obtain my university degree in computer science. Thanks to you, I am now a teacher.”, she said.

Like her, many former volunteers have followed inspiring paths. Theang, Reaksmey, Chantou, Chanry, Samoun, and Samoeurn all began volunteering at a very young age. Today, they are university students, librarian-educators in Sipar's mobile libraries, engineers, or entrepreneurs. What they have in common is that they developed a sense of responsibility and a desire to serve their community at a very early age.

skills for life

By leading academic support, reading, and awareness activities, these young people gradually gained confidence. Many were shy and did not dare to dream of higher education. Over the years, they have become true local leaders.

Through their involvement, they acquired essential skills: communication, teaching, creativity, coordination, management, critical thinking, teamwork, and emotional management. These skills proved to be crucial to their personal and professional success. They were able to leverage the skills they acquired and demonstrate them beyond the Youth Clubs.

In rural areas of Cambodia, dropping out of school remains common once students enter secondary school. The fact that all seven of these young people have continued or completed higher education is therefore a remarkable achievement. It demonstrates the tangible impact of Sipar's actions in support of young people.

Testimonial: Chantou's journey

My name is Chantou, and my story with Sipar began in 2012 when I joined a youth club as a volunteer. I had a strong desire to get involved in my community and help children gain access to education and reading.

Within the club, I quickly became president. My role consisted of organizing community activities, leading reading sessions, and supporting children in their learning. This experience was instrumental in developing my sense of responsibility and my desire to work with young people.

I then went on to study public administration at university. This training allowed me to strengthen my communication and coordination skills, which are essential qualities in my fieldwork. In 2018, I joined the Sipar team. I now work as a librarian-educator in brick factories.

Sipar has played a major role in my life. Thanks to my involvement, I have gained confidence, leadership skills, and organizational abilities. I learned how to manage my time better, work in a team, use digital tools, create educational activities... All these experiences have shaped the person I have become. I am proud of my journey and deeply grateful to Sipar. This organization has given me the opportunity to grow and, in turn, contribute to the future of my country's children.

L’article De volontaires engagés à professionnels accomplis est apparu en premier sur Sipar.

When reading becomes a refuge: Sipar's commitment to refugee children

In a regional and international context marked by crises and uncertainty, Sipar continues its commitment to education and reading in Cambodia. Faced with humanitarian emergencies, fragile funding, and persistent challenges, Sipar remains committed to providing learning opportunities and hope to the most vulnerable children and communities.

A worrying regional context

Despite the signing of a ceasefire, tensions between Cambodia and Thailand remain high. Given the human consequences of this conflict, dialogue and respect for international law are more necessary than ever.

It is in this climate of instability that Sipar reaffirms its mission: to make reading and education essential levers of development and resilience for the most vulnerable populations.

Education as a humanitarian response

Faced with this emergency, teams in Phnom Penh quickly mobilized. Drawing on its mobile library in the Siem Reap region, Sipar exceptionally suspended its usual activities to assist displaced populations, thereby ensuring that children had access to spaces for reading, learning, and support.

After a temporary closure of five of the high schools participating in our youth empowerment program, schools have now reopened. Throughout this period, our teams have remained in close contact with teachers and students to prevent school dropouts.

Beyond providing access to books, these initiatives help to rebuild reference points, support the well-being of children and young people, and preserve their fundamental right to education, even in crisis situations. They fully embody Sipar's purpose: to make reading a refuge and a tool for hope.

Weakened financing

Beyond the border conflict, cuts in official development assistance are jeopardizing the future of many programs at the start of 2026. In response to this situation, Sipar's board of directors and management team are fully committed to diversifying our funding sources.

This strategy is essential to strengthen the relevance of our interventions and ensure, over the long term, high-quality support for those who need it most.

Support Sipar: a concrete gesture for education

Today more than ever, your support is essential. Every donation helps to maintain and develop concrete actions: mobile libraries, access to books, educational support, and assistance for children affected by conflict.

By donating to Sipar, you are directly contributing to providing children in Cambodia with spaces for reading, learning, and hope. Together, let's make reading a real springboard for the future.

Donate

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Annual General Meeting 2024: a look back at a difficult year

On June 6, Sipar's president, general manager and treasurer presented this year's activities and results. The year 2023 ended with a deficit balance sheet, but despite a complex year, projects continue with success and impact for Cambodia's most vulnerable people.

The 2024 Annual General Meeting was held by videoconference. Patrice Lucas, President of Sipar, presented his annual report and detailed current programs. 

More than 33 years after our debut in Cambodia's public schools, we continued our support for the historic library network in 2023, renewing book holdings and renovating and building new libraries.

Our 14 mobile libraries continued to circulate in seven provinces and in Phnom Penh. Prison officers now directly manage libraries in all 28 prisons. We also supported the development of Cambodian youth. In addition, our publishing house published 19 new titles in 2023, bringing our catalog to 289 titles.

In 2024, we will continue and expand our mission. We'll be promoting reading and education for all, supporting schooling and Cambodian youth in disadvantaged areas.

The audit committee, created at the end of 2022, was operational in 2023. It recommended an audit in Versailles and Phnom Penh, carried out in early 2024 thanks to the skills sponsorship of the Allianz Group. In 2023, we were certified IDEAS. The continuous improvement process continues with the help of two volunteer advisors delegated by IDEAS. A progress report is scheduled for the end of June 2024.

The year 2023 was a difficult one financially. We saw a significant drop in income (donations and book sales). This did not cover all expenses, leading to a deficit of 116 k€. The budget, presented with a deficit of 33 k€, could not be respected.

The Annual General Meeting unanimously approved the 2023 financial statements, validating the allocation of the deficit to reserves.

Our sincere thanks go to our friends, partners and donors, whose support enables us to continue our educational drive in Cambodia.

To consult and download our documents (in French only) :

• Annual report 2023
• 2024 General Assembly convocation (in French)
• Annual report 2023 (resume, in French)
• Financial report 2023 (in French)
• Moral report 2023 (in French)
• France Auditors report 2023 (in French)
• Minutes General Assembly 2024 (in French)

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Bernadette Chaventon's appeal for generosity

Our co-founder, who has been committed to education in Cambodia for 42 years, talks openly about Sipar's need for funding. She appeals to your generosity.

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Kolap Mao: "I understood the power of books to build Cambodian society".

Manager of the youth empowerment project, Kolap Mao has been with Sipar in Cambodia since May 2022. Her experience in librarianship is a major asset for Sipar's development.

Can you introduce yourself? What do you do for Sipar?

I've been working in the library field since 2000. I obtained a Master's degree in Library and Information Science in 2010 in the United States. When I returned from my studies abroad, I took up my post as library director at thePannasastra University in Cambodia.

In addition to the library, I quickly became involved in youth activities since the early 2000s, both on and off campus. Later, I was officially appointed Head of Student Affairs, in addition to my position as Library Director.

When I was young, I wanted to be a legislator. I believed I would have the power to create laws that could harmonize society and bring justice. When I had the opportunity to visit libraries in the United States, I began to understand that to help Cambodian society, I had to become a librarian. The law can't protect people if they're not informed and don't have access to information. It was there that I understood the power of information and libraries: books would contribute to the development of my country. 

All the sectors in which Sipar focuses its action, including book publishing, the promotion of reading, libraries and education, and youth empowerment, correspond to my life mission. Participating in Sipar's mission is like fulfilling my mission. This perfect match brings me joy when I come to Sipar every day, no matter what challenges my team and I face.

At Sipar, I'm responsible for the libraries and youth development program. I also manage the library training program and help design Sipar strategies. I'm also involved in the design and implementation of the staff training and well-being program. For example, since last year, Sipar has been organizing English courses for the librarian-educators of the mobile libraries.

What do you think of the youth project and its evolution?

The objectives and activities of the Cambodian Youth Empowerment Project are aligned with the government's strategic plan.This makes it easy for us to work with members of the ministry of education to achieve our common goals. 

I'm convinced that our project model can be implemented in every high school in the country. Because it is aligned with the government's strategy on the one hand, and because it requires few financial resources to implement on the other hand.

What makes you proud about this project ?

I'm proud of this project because it's important and relevant to the current situation in Cambodia. Without this project, there would be no career guidance corners in libraries. There would be no career forums in public high schools. Without this project, high school students end up with nothing to look forward to. It's essential that they have the right information to make decisions about their future.

Do you have an anecdote to share with us ?

When I visited a target high school in Ratanakiri, some 530 km from Phnom Penh, I noticed a little girl borrowing mainly science books. I asked her why she was reading these books and she replied that she wanted to be an engineer. I asked her why, when many students want to be teachers, doctors or policemen. She told me it was because she'd been to the careers forum set up as part of our project. There she discovered the engineering professions. It was there that I witnessed the profound impact on our project.

 

L’article Kolap Mao : « J’ai compris le pouvoir des livres pour construire la société cambodgienne » est apparu en premier sur Sipar.

Become Sipar's ambassador

Devenez ambassadeur de Sipar et rejoignez-nous dans notre mission. Téléchargez le kit « Devenir Semeur de livres », plein de ressources et d’idées pour nous aider à faire rayonner Sipar.

Vous ne vous en doutez pas, mais vos amis, vos collègues, vos employeurs, vos commerçants… ont un grand rôle à jouer dans la mission de Sipar ! Plus nous serons nombreux à parler de Sipar autour de nous, plus nous pourrons faire connaître nos missions. Plus les personnes seront à même d’adhérer à nos valeurs et de faire un don et plus nous pourront toucher de bénéficiaires.

En plus, 10 minutes seulement suffisent pour nous aider ! Voici quelques idées :

• Collecter des fonds à l’occasion d’un évènement (anniversaire, mariage, pot de départ, brocante, manifestation sportive…).
• Envoyer un mail, passer un coup de téléphone à vos proches. susceptibles d’être intéressés par la cause de l’éducation au Cambodge. Parlez-leur de votre engagement à nos côtés, leur proposer de devenir donateur à leur tour…
• Démarcher votre entreprise pour connaître sa politique RSE, ils pourraient être intéressés pour soutenir Sipar et ses actions.
• Accrocher des affiches de Sipar ou distribuer des prospectus dans vos commerces préférés, dans votre école, votre bibliothèque, dans votre bureau ou à l’espace machine à café…
• Faire une publication sur les réseaux sociaux en mentionnant votre soutien à Sipar et en incitant votre communauté à nous suivre et/ou à devenir donateur eux aussi.

Ce kit contient des affiches, des prospectus, des bons de soutien à imprimer, un QR code à flasher pour pouvoir faire un don, des modèles de mail ou de publications sur les réseaux sociaux. Tout est déjà prêt, vous n’avez plus qu’à envoyer !

Je télécharge mon kit

Un grand merci pour votre engagement à nos côtés, c’est grâce à vous que ne pouvons continuer.

Retrouvez le kit téléchargeable en permanence sur notre page « Devenir ambassadeur ».

Pour toute question, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter à sipar.france@sipar.org                

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I met Sovanna Ly when she was with her family in Phanat Nikhom refugee camp almost 40 years ago.... We have come a long way since then. At that time, Sipar was teaching French to Cambodian refugees awaiting their departure for France. Sovanna and Vath, her husband, spoke French and had agreed to assist us until they left for France. The host group of Saint Chéron (91) was already ready to welcome them and their installation was warm. Soon, their three children went to school, Vath found a job and Sovanna trained in accounting. At the end of this training, a member of the host group was able to get her into Comgest where she spent her entire career. Very quickly, she won the trust of her colleagues and management team.

But Sovanna never forgets Cambodia and keeps in touch with Sipar: "It's my country, I lived through the war there. Helping children in their education today makes me happy," she says. Her confidence in Sipar's mission and the special ties she has forged with her members led her to convince Comgest's management and colleagues to support Sipar. "Their work, their courage, their will, to help the children of Cambodia, as well as their honesty, encourages me to do what I am doing now," says Sovanna about the Sipar teams. That was 23 years ago and Comgest and its collaborators have been a valuable and loyal supporter ever since.

A strong friendship was formed between us. I have great admiration for her: her courage, her energy, her will, her intelligence have enabled her to face all the hardships encountered: enduring the Khmer Rouge regime, fleeing her country, living in exile, camps, settling in France. What an example for me and what a success, she can be proud of her journey!

Bernadette Chaventon

L’article Sovanna Ly, de bénéficiaire à grande donatrice est apparu en premier sur Sipar.

When, four years ago, the team of Sipar founders called new members to the Board of Directors, it quickly became clear to us that we needed to take advantage of this transition phase to identify our best practices and strengthen them by using the IDEAS label guide. In addition, the evolution of the expectations of our donors, individual and institutional, is moving towards more transparency on how we manage the donations they entrust to us, and how we ensure the sustainability of the association and the control of the risks it incurs. 

For more than 18 months, with the support of IDEAS' volunteer advisors, we reviewed all of our management processes, identifying which ones we were compliant with, which we were practiced without documenting them, and gaps. This work has led us to reach the rate of 86% of existing good practices in Sipar, the vast majority of which are documented. 

To go further, we are now fully committed to a continuous improvement process to strive for excellence, and thus see this label confirmed in three years. The creation, on the recommendation of IDEAS, of an audit committee chaired by an external personality, Jean-François Sautin, and including two members of the Board of Directors, Alain Crouÿ and Damien Dumas, will be a privileged instrument for this. 

I would like to thank the team of volunteer advisors and the Sipar teams for the seriousness with which this approach was carried out, in addition to the usual charges. We are all proud to be part of the community of French associations labeled by IDEAS. 

 

Patrice LUCAS – president

To learn more about the IDEAS label, visit their website: https://ideas.asso.fr/le-label site web

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Discover the traditions of the Khmer New Year

From April 14 to 16, Cambodians celebrated the New Year under the sign of the snake. In Cambodia, this festival is one of the most important on the calendar and marks the end of the rice harvest. It is a moment of celebration for the millions of Khmers around the world.

If you are in Cambodia on New Year, you may be watered on the street during the many water fights. Traditional games, offerings and prayers are on the program of celebrations.

Three days of celebration

Même si les festivités durent quasiment une semaine, les trois jours du nouvel an khmer sont marqués par des célébrations bien distinctes de cette année 2569 !

Day 1 : Moha Songkranta

This first day is dedicated to offerings for the angel of the new year, which replaces that of the previous year. The angel in return gives his blessings to the faithful.

Day 2 : Veareak Vanabat

This second day is dedicated to offerings for parents, relatives and the poorest. The monks, in the pagodas, give their blessings to the spirits of deceased relatives.

Day 3 : Veareak Laeung Sak

On this third day, Cambodians gather in pagodas for the Sand Mountain ceremony to be blessed. In the evening there is the Pithi Srang Preah ceremony, where people give a bath or shower to Buddha statues, monks or their parents to obtain forgiveness and blessings.

A very happy Year of the Snake to you all! And Happy Khmer New Year to our entire community.

Source : Le Petit Journal

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Beyond the book, raising awareness

Santé et hygiène

To deliver key messages on Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health among populations in disadvantaged areas, with the support of local authorities :

• Hand washing
• Brushing teeth
• Proper use of toilets
• Drink clean water
• Healthy eating
• Breastfeeding
• COVID-19 personal hygiene habits

Road safety

To contribute to people’s awareness of road safety and promote safe behaviour on the road :

• Code of conduct and road signs
• Ethical driving
• Wearing a helmet
• Dangers of speeding
• Cell phone use while driving
• Drinking and driving
• Eye checks for good vision

Environment

To encourage the population to develop good habits in terms of environmental preservation through interactive activities :

• Video on quizzes on the use of plastic
• Workshops on making "No littering" signs
• Reading sessions on the environment
• Waste recycling workshops
• Community waste collection / clean up
• "Cleanest village" contest

STEAM (SCIENCES)

Bring out passions and vocations in a sector that is sorely lacking in human resources in Cambodia:

• Biology (human body, animals, plants)
• Elements (water, air, heat)
• Mathematics (simple functions, equations, measurements)
• Physics (weights, forces, magnetism)
• Chemistry (mixing, reactions)
• Electricity (basic circuits)
• Engineering and Mechanics (wheels, bridges, towers, airplanes)
• IT (using tablets to play maths games)
• Art (primary and secondary colours, painting, drawing)

L’article Au-delà des livres, sensibiliser est apparu en premier sur Sipar.