Many of us have had the privilege of being taught how to write resumes and send out job applications in high school. Furthermore, you may have people in your family or a mentor that could be asked for further assistance or advice when it comes to your first important job search.
Makara, however, didn’t have this level of support. Having grown up orphaned in rural Cambodia, where the population is generally not very well educated and the internet was just recently introduced as a new source of information, Makara was confronted with a lot of uncertainty when it was time for him to make first decisions as an adult.
CYS supports students like Makara through the full journey of building a career. We coached Makara through his first job search and assisted him in creating his first e-mail address, writing his first resume, and evaluating his professional ambitions. Once the groundwork was laid, we worked with him to obtain an administration internship in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh. After the internship concluded, CYS helped Makara in moving to Kampot city, where we were able to aid him with his application and the preparation for an interview for a position as HR & Finance Assistant at a British NGO called EpicArts.
Furthermore, CYS was able to assist Makara in finding a room for rent in Kampot city. We provided him with furniture, kitchen, and bathroom supplies and covered his rent until he received his first salary at his new job. Additionally, we were able to coach him through the process of opening up a bank account, so that he will be able to handle his finances and future savings.
Click through the galleries to look at Makara's room:
Makara started working as an HR & Finance Assistant in May and has been more than well appreciated by his new team. He has truly been thriving at his new job and feels grateful that he is able to combine several of his passions: working in the finance and HR sector as well as being part of a team of an international non-profit organization that improves the lives of many fellow Cambodians in need.
Makara continues to balance his full-time work schedule with his weekend classes at university, where he is enrolled in a Bachelor’s program in Accounting.
Read our story about enrolling him in university and a personal letter by him here:
This year, CYS has been able to lay the foundation for Makara to find his way into an independent and educated future in various ways. As his consistent support system, we guided him through important life decisions, lifted the barriers that prevented him from studying at university, assisted him in finding his first internship and a full-time job, and provided him with accommodation, so that he can now slowly but steadily build a life for himself.
Support young Cambodians in elevating their lives by donating to CYS today!
