At Little Hearts we strive to prepare our wards for life beyond the safe confines of our campus. Ultimately, we want to ensure that all of them are gainfully employed when they leave Little Hearts, and that they become responsible and productive members of our society. Hence, our continual stress on education as a pathway out of poverty: all our kids attend school while at Little Hearts, and many continue to university with our support.
However, not all kids are comfortable in a purely academic environment. For some, vocational training may be more appropriate. For others, an apprenticeship or on-the-job training is the best option. One of our most important endeavors, therefore, is to help the kids figure out what they’re good at and what they enjoy doing.
On June 23rd, we took many of the kids to an orientation and demonstration held at PSE, a local NGO that offers various educational opportunities to impoverished kids in Cambodia, including vocational training in several fields. (PSE stands for Pour un sourire d’enfant, which means “For a Child’s Smile” in French.) The goal was to introduce our children to the wide variety of career pathways that are available to them.
The morning orientation ran from 7:30 to 11:30 AM. PSE staff introduced us to their organization, its mission, history, and goals, and described the five areas in which they offer vocational training:
- Hospitality & Tourism (Housekeeping, Laundry, Cooking, Barista Training)
- Front Desk & Customer Relations
- Film & Audiovisual
- Business & Commerce (Sales)
- Construction & Mechanics
After the orientation, the staff took us on a tour of their training facilities, where instructors and specialists talked about their curricula and answered the kids’ questions. This gave our children a good overview of each subject area, because many of them, especially the younger ones, knew very little about these types of courses.
The best part of the field trip was seeing how interested the children became, especially Charlie. Now in Grade 10, Charlie is, in fact, one of the main reasons why we planned this trip. He is currently struggling with regular school, especially anything theoretical, and finds it hard to concentrate. But he is very good with his hands and loves fixing small things around Little Hearts.
“Every time something of mine breaks, I try to fix it on my own,” explains Charlie. “And sometimes I’m also able to fix things around Little Hearts, like electric fans and other small items. If I’m frustrated or not in a good mood, I notice that the one thing that helps me relax is fixing stuff.”
Given his profile and interest in “fixing stuff”, we thought Charlie would benefit greatly from exploring some vocational training options, such as what PSE has to offer. Indeed, he was very curious about everything he saw there, especially the Construction & Mechanics lab.
Sammy (Grade 8), on the other hand, was keen on the hospitality training: “I really liked it when I saw the barista training, especially the way the teacher explained how to serve the drinks, prepare the table, and serve guests in a hotel or a restaurant.”
Maya (Grade 6), enjoyed learning about management and front office skills: “I like the idea of working in an office. I like to talk to people; I want to help them. I was very, very interested while the teachers and staff at PSE were explaining about everything a front desk professional can do.”
Danny (Grade 12) is in her final year of secondary school and also felt the front desk course could be a good match: “I was very interested in the front desk vocational course. It’s connected with my dream of working as airline cabin crew because it involves the things I like most: communicating with people and providing a service to them.”
The PSE visit showed our kids that success comes in different forms. Whether they choose a university degree or a technical trade, there are plenty opportunities for them. All they need is to work hard and have some self-belief. And a little help from the extended Little Hearts family.
Thank you to the staff and teachers at PSE for welcoming Little Hearts and giving our kids some great advice!
