PASSERELLES NUMERIQUES
Phnom-Penh, Cambodia
DESCRIPTION
FIGHTING POVERTY VIA PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT
This project finances two years of school for 10 students in Cambodia.
Passerelles Numériques (PN) enables very vulnerable teenagers to access education and technical/professional training in the digital sector, based on their natural abilities and commitment.
PN aims to build the employability of these teenagers, which will allow them and their families to get out of poverty in a sustainable manner, and more broadly to help the socioeconomic development of Cambodia.
IMPACT / MAIN INDICATORS
The graduate’s average monthly wage is 388 USD (average family income before joining PNC is 50 USD). 51% of our students are female. Objectives:
• Strong employment rate: In 2022, 136 students graduated (from the 2020 and 2021 classes), 100% of them found employment in the IT sector.
• Promotion of both boys and girls : 51% of the students are female.
• Increase of average salary (post-graduation): The graduate’s average monthly wage is 388 USD (average family income before joining PNC is 50 USD).
• Economic support to their community
• Mentoring of other students
LOCAL
PARTNER
Passerelles Numériques Cambodge
Selection
Duration
Project selected in September 2018
Multi-year project: 6 years
Financed
by
The Comgest Foundation
COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR
Sébastien Thévoux-Chabuel
In Cambodia, financial difficulties continue to be a barrier for high school graduates to pursue their higher education in Cambodia. Indeed, 60% of the working poor population survives with less than $3 USD a day. Consequently, many young Cambodians must drop their studies, move to neighbouring countries, and end up working in very difficult conditions to send some money home.
The demographic situation is very peculiar with 77% of the population living in rural areas and 49% aged under 25. Most secondary education is provided on a fee-paying basis, and is therefore inaccessible to most students, especially in rural areas.
Passerelles numériques (PN) directly addresses these issues to break this cycle of poverty for the underserved, providing a relevantly skilled, trained and adaptable workforce for IT markets. Located in Cambodia, Philippines, Vietnam and Madagascar (our newest programme launched in 2021), PN targets the most disadvantaged youths who have no access to education and empowers them with digital training on key technical and soft employability skills. The Comgest Foundation has been a key supporter of the work of PN by contributing to the funding of the costs of some of its Cambodian students.