Mothers are critical partners in breaking the social and economic barriers that prevent girls from getting an education. They encourage their daughters to dream bigger and to focus on their studies because they themselves often didn’t get a chance to attend or complete school. Mothers understand that for their daughters to have a better future, they need an education.

In rural Cambodia, it is common for women to not have attended school beyond the primary level. This is a result of social and economic barriers but also war - many of Harpswell’s students’ parents were unable to attend school due to the Khmer Rouge and its aftermath.

For most of our students, their mothers have played an important role in their journeys to obtaining a higher education degree. This Mother’s Day, we asked three of our students to share stories of how their mothers have inspired them to get an education.

Chea SreyMach ‘23

My mother passed away when I was 8 years old. I have a new female guardian in my family who looks after me. Many people see a stepmother as being mean, but I have not had that experience. My stepmother, Pheap, makes me understand the difficulties that she faces and makes me want to achieve more. She repeatedly talks about how she was not able to get an education, and always reminds me to take advantage of opportunities.

My stepmother tells me that she can’t go back to studying since she has to look after us; thus, she pushes me to go further, giving me a chance to study at university. She always tells me that she never wants me to be on the same track as her, so she never stops me from doing anything that benefits me. She continuously asks me to learn.

I am really pleased that she is always behind my back when it comes to getting an education. She never forces me to stop studying, and she never wants me to be uneducated. I appreciate the support and effort she put into my education from the first day she joined our family until now.

Phuong Sothiny ‘22

I grew up in rural Cambodia with just my mother, Sothy, a kindergarten teacher. Since I was a child she spared some of her busy time at night to teach me. When I was studying with her she told me: “Only education can help you have a better future. You have to try your best to get an education. No one can help you but YOU.” My mother did not get a chance to go to secondary school due to the war. She told me that I am lucky to be born during a peaceful time, so I should try to study harder and become smarter in order to have a better future.

My mother gave me enough time to focus on my studies. She didn’t ask me to do something else if she saw that I was studying. She really valued my studying time. In addition, she motivated me by telling me about the inspiring women who have gotten higher education degrees and now work in the public sector, for NGOs, and in the private sector. It led me to want to work and get an education like them. My mom is a simple woman but she is trying her best to help me with my education.

Yarn Somphors ‘21

“When I was your age, I couldn't go to school. I didn't even have that much money to spend like you. Your grandparents were very mean back then.” These are the words my mother, Sopheap used to tell me. “I didn’t have a bike so I had to walk to school. I didn’t have an extra uniform, not because grandpa and grandma were poor, but they did not support my education. They gave me little money to spend and disciplined me one day when I spent all of it.” I could see tears rolling down her cheeks, but she looked away from us, trying to hide it from us. However, I knew that she was crying and found myself crying too.

From that day on, I told myself that I was going to make her dream of finishing school come true. I was going to graduate from high school, continue on to university, and make her proud. I thought the journey would be smooth, but everything was not like how I imagined. High school was tough - everything was in English. [Somphors attended the Jay Pritzker Academy in Siem Reap.] We were running from one class to the next for the whole day and so much work was given. But university was even worse with all the challenging courses, not to mention living far away from home. Nevertheless, here I am, two months from graduating from university. I will be the first generation with a bachelor’s degree - hard work pays off.

I am where I am today because of my mother. Her words encouraged me to push to the next level and overcome all the difficulties I encountered. I am grateful for everything that happened so far and I would not make it here without her, my family, the Harpswell Foundation, and myself. I cannot wait for the next milestone.