Let's take the example of Sing. Sing's case made us think. She is 20 today and was forced to get married at 14 and thus dropped out of school. Sing takes care of the household and cannot go to work due to her lack of education. "I've practically forgotten how to read, write and do arithmetic all over again since I got married," Sing says with her head bowed. "I actually wanted to be a librarian." We are now supporting Sing in other ways to make her dream come true after all. But her case has motivated us to be one step ahead and prevent further cases.
Through workshops with our trained team, we want to sensitise students, but also parents, that they can shape the family's future in a self-determined and sustainable way. The local education authorities, who cooperate with us, are involved in the programme. In this way, we want to expand the awareness of the entire community in Prasat Bakong step by step and end this devastating practice of girl marriages from within. Through our long-standing involvement in about 30 primary schools in Prasat Bakong, we have already been able to gain the trust of the community, which is the prerequisite for this awareness-raising work.