Then, after the COVID-19 pandemic, a former colleague reached out with an update. The project had established Cambodia’ s first career center, providing business and digital skills support for youth, particularly girls and young women. One participant, still a high school student, had chosen to become a mentor to younger girls herself and teach them how to code. For Anh, the story captured the true power of education and opportunity. When people gain the skills and confidence to improve their own lives, they often go on to help others do the same. The benefits do not end with the person who receives them. They are carried into families, workplaces and communities, creating opportunities for others long after the original investment has been made.
“ Give an opportunity to one participant, and she is so inspired that she feels compelled to help other girls. When you leave a project, you always worry. To learn that it was having this effect— that’ s the power of girls, right?”— Anh Pham
Students become teachers. Teachers become principals. Communities become models for others to follow.
That is the CAI impact— and it compounds.
2nd grade students take their final exam in Kunar Province, Afghanistan
1. ASER Pakistan.( 2011-2023). Annual Status of Education Report. Retrieved from https:// aserpakistan. org / report. 2. In fact, research has found that in Pakistan, children who gain strong foundational learning skills will earn up to 28 percent more each month as an adult. https:// www. wwhge. org / resources / new-evidence-confirms-the-transformative-power-of-foundational-learning-skills-for-individuals-andsocieties /
3. Balaj, Mirza, et al. " Parental Education and Inequalities in Child Mortality: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." The Lancet, vol. 398, no. 10300, 2021, pp. 608-620.
6 | 2026-2027 JOURNEY OF HOPE
CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE