Nearly sixteen years since the 1991 Paris Peace Agreement, Cambodia still suffers from the effects of two decades of genocide, famine, and civil strife. While the economy has progressed somewhat with a growth rate of 13 percent in 2006, over 30 percent of Cambodians are still living under the poverty line.

With development projects traditionally focusing on urbanization and industrialization, Cambodia’s rural provinces have especially been prone to a lack of social infrastructure. 

Children have little access to education as they support their families’ agricultural livelihoods; similarly, teachers and school administrators are often woefully unequipped—both in educational training and resources—for their professional duties. Studies have continually shown that dropouts contribute most to the average household’s economic output, implying a distinct economic advantage to foregoing education.

The Youth Network for Change (YNC) was established in 2006 to counteract these trends by facilitating dynamic social development in Cambodia’s poorest regions. Through outreach programs, cultural exchanges, and educational initiatives, we hope to lift rural Cambodian youth out of poverty and into sustainable careers.