Du Pain et des Roses - projet soutenu par Azickia

SIPAR

Learding to read to build the future

Impact location : Kandal Province, Cambodia
Donation Amount : 5000€
Project supported in 2025

The project is being implemented in brick factories located on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, particularly in Kandal Province. These factories, which specialise in brick manufacturing, employ cheap labour in extremely precarious living and working conditions. Of the 110 brick factories identified in the province, 52 are located in the district of Mouk Kampul. It is in this district that the programme is currently rolling out its activities, working with 32 brick factories.

The vast majority of working-class families living in the area are caught in a cycle of debt. Often faced with critical financial situations, they borrow money from the brick factory owners, which they then repay by working on site. This exploitative mechanism creates a strong dependence on the employer, which is sometimes passed down through several generations. The daily income per person varies between 3.50 and 7 euros, for a production of up to 100,000 bricks per day.

Living conditions in the brickworks are particularly difficult. Families live in precarious housing, right in the heart of the production sites, constantly exposed to extreme heat and thick dust, which can cause respiratory problems. Alcohol consumption is common, used as an escape from the harshness of daily life, but it also leads to violence, particularly within households. Women, girls and children are the primary victims of this violence and inequality.

In this extremely vulnerable environment, access to education can be complicated and school dropout rates are high. Faced with this reality, the project is implementing a comprehensive approach, both educational and social, with the aim of breaking the cycle of poverty and strengthening the resilience of families. It focuses primarily on children’s education, deploying four mobile libraries that circulate weekly in the brickworks. These libraries offer children aged 3 to 14 reading activities, early learning, educational games and individualised academic support and monitoring. Librarians and educators also convey key messages, such as on health and hygiene. The aim is to support them in their academic journey, in a caring and stimulating environment.

The project also supports adolescents aged 12 to 17 who have dropped out of school through a socio-educational development programme tailored to their needs and circumstances: how to manage stress and anxiety, how to manage money, etc.

Finally, the project offers awareness-raising activities for families on key topics such as health, hygiene, nutrition, domestic violence prevention and positive parenting. These sessions enable adults to better understand their rights, take care of their health and those around them, and gradually improve their living conditions.

Today, the project directly reaches 1,300 children aged 3 to 14, 500 out-of-school young people aged 12 to 17, and 1,500 adults living and working in the brickworks. It is also extending its work to surrounding schools and villages, collaborating with 18 teachers and librarians from six partner schools and supporting around 20 community volunteers who run micro-libraries in the villages. All of these actions aim to build, step by step, a more dignified and equitable future for these working-class families.

For 2025-2026, the ‘Education in Brickworks’ project supported by Azickia aims to:

1 – Strengthen school learning, reading skills and combat school dropout among children from working-class families

2 – Provide young adolescents who have dropped out of school with socio-educational development programmes

3 – Improve the quality of life of working-class families, particularly women, through sessions on crucial social issues

The organisation carrying the project

Since 1982, Sipar has been actively involved in developing Cambodia’s human capital by promoting reading, access to knowledge and education, while combating illiteracy. Sipar responds to the needs of a rapidly developing country whose education system represents a major challenge.

In a country undergoing rapid economic change where inequalities are widening, Sipar’s programmes target the most vulnerable populations, particularly children. By providing them with access to knowledge, Sipar enables these populations to break the cycle of precariousness, escape poverty and improve their quality of life. Once educated, they are better prepared to actively contribute to the development of their country.

Sipar aims to promote education and the development of reading habits in Cambodia by giving everyone access to books. With nearly 20% of the Cambodian population unable to read, Sipar’s programmes help to develop access to knowledge.

Sipar’s activities are divided into four flagship programmes:

The long-standing programme to set up libraries in schools (nursery and primary), with more than 300 libraries now in operation throughout the country
The mobile library programme, with 11 vehicles (buses, tuk-tuks, boats, etc.) travelling across seven provinces and bringing books to more than 120 isolated villages and brickworks
The prison education programme, which has enabled the installation of library education centres in Cambodia’s 28 prisons and promotes the reintegration of prisoners

Since 2001, Sipar has also been a publishing house, creating and publishing high-quality books in the Khmer language, adapted to all levels and tastes.

With a budget of just €4.29 per person, Sipar manages to reach 350,000 beneficiaries each year, demonstrating the effectiveness and scope of its actions in promoting access to education. A huge force for change, thanks to recognised expertise and innovative programmes.