From Pnomh Penh Post: Pioneering child advocate honoured on a global stage
From Pnomh Penh Post
“Ponheary Ly, the pioneering founder of the Ponheary Ly Foundation in Siem Reap, was in New York last week to collect the 2016 Education Award from the World of Children, a globally recognised honour and funding program for those specifically and exclusively serving the needs of children.
According to the World of Children website, the awards honour leaders and grants funds to support proven, high-impact programs. The award for education recognises individuals making extraordinary contributions to the schooling of children, providing them with the platform to become fully productive members of society.
The awards – which are akin to a Nobel Prize for child advocacy – are given only to those who have worked with their organisations for at least 10 years for little or no pay. The event raised $850,000 to advance the causes of this year’s honourees.
Ponheary Ly, formerly a teacher and tour guide, began supporting children with her own money in the late 1990s. In 2005, she founded the Ponheary Ly Foundation with the support of Texan Lori Carlson, who is now the Ponheary Ly Foundation’s president, and who also travelled to New York for the Park Avenue ceremony.”