Cambodian Women’s Leadership
History
In 2006, Harpswell built Cambodia’s first dormitory for university women in the Boeng Trabek (BT) neighborhood of Phnom Penh, near the Royal University of Law and Economics. We built a second in 2009 across the city in Teuk Thla (TT).
Amenities
Both dorms include a library, computer room and dedicated spaces for studying, relaxing and communal activities. The dorms can accommodate up to 76 young women who attend up to 18 different universities at any given time.
Student Life
Each student lives with three roommates in quads. Everyone shares chores. Team leaders, elected by peers, are responsible for dorm activities, job rotation and budgeting.
Days are also marked by classes, outings, celebrations, cultural events and service days. Students can also take part in sports, music lessons, student-run yoga and clubs.
Leadership Development
The dormitories are leadership accelerators for our students.
Our rigorous in-house curriculum, taught by Leadership Residents, bolsters university education with intensive training in critical thinking, analytical writing, debate and civic engagement. We prepare our students for the global economy by ensuring graduates are proficient in English and digital literacy.
Students participate in thrice-weekly critical-thinking sessions conducted in Khmer and English, in which they take turns researching, presenting and analyzing current events.
One Sunday each month, our students come together in TT dorm’s Great Hall of Women for a leadership seminar, often moderated by an expert guest speaker. Past speakers include government ministers, ambassadors, NGO leaders, entrepreneurs, religious leaders, scientists, architects and journalists.
Read about the impact of our leadership development efforts.
U.S. Scholars
Every year, Harpswell awards two or three exceptional graduates one-year full scholarships to study in the United States.
Our partner universities include Agnes Scott College, Bard College, Bowdoin College, Christian Brothers University, Northeastern University and Rhodes College.
More than half of the U.S. Scholars, who bring intellectual curiosity and diverse perspectives to their new campus life, continue to pursue graduate degrees upon their return to Cambodia.
Each year, Harpswell invites bright young women from high schools throughout Cambodia to apply for our higher education program.
Acceptance is highly competitive. We are able to accept less than 12% of qualified students each year. As such, we seek young women who have clearly demonstrated academic success, leadership potential and independent thinking, and possess a strong desire to contribute to better futures for themselves and their families.
Admissions
Following the application cycle deadline, members of the Harpswell team review all applications and identify a small pool of qualified candidates for interviews.
Applicants are then asked to submit a short personal essay in English or Khmer, and semi-finalists are selected. A set of finalists are then officially announced once Harpswell receives the results of their National High School Examination scores.
To learn more about the application process,
Contact Country Director Moul Samneang at samneang@harpswell.org.
“Harpswell allows me to have a voice, to remember where I come from, and to have confidence in myself.
I believe that my Harpswell family members and I, together, will become good future women leaders for Cambodia.”
— Yim Kalyan, Class of 2010 and Harpswell Board of Trustees Member, Open Society Fellow, Master’s Degree, Columbia University School of Social Work
