Tech Generations
THE2024-2025ANNUALREPORTOFOURACTIVITIES
Introduction
2024 was when we were most active 2025 was unfortunately a nothing year the business that we were largely hoping to fund additional laptops did not follow through .Thanks to Amy Falken for our initial pilot batch of Chromebooks given out to multiple partners and programs in 2024 The computer giveaway was largely for people who lack personal computers for their own use outside of specific programs or university scholarships and would otherwise be limited using on-site computers only We definitely want everyone to be able to explore and go beyond any material in their own time!
Its important to introduce the context specifically around “girls in tech” programs in Cambodia From what we learned talking to those we supported, women are specifically actively discouraged by their families from going into IT or Coding because computers are seen as a “man’s job” while things like accounting and teaching are “women’s jobs”.There are little to no tech companies to work for locally so examples that are able to serve as role models to change this perception hardly exist Unfortunately Cambodia is far better known for it’s Chinesefueled cybercrime industry which pays far better than any legitimate tech work which is why getting people, especially the girls onto the starting rung towards legitimate industry Even if they have to be “bad girls” to do it! However there is still a large gap even between the coding programs and practical skills vs “toy programming” introductory tools like Scratch which are not useful in the real world and don’t expose students to the real world reality and struggles of programming. Many, because of poverty are still stuck at the starting line of basic digital literacy
This report is brief and being filed last minute at the time of writing as it’s being rushed through without fully recovering from fever and illness.We estimate there is another $500-1000 in incurred travel expenses and initial unused rental (with a more ambitious plan) that will have to be accounted for in a future report
Munly Leong
Executive Director
At a Glance
TeacherTech
(Cambodia)
2x m7 processor computers (not pictured)
Code for Girls (Cambodia)
2x m7, 1xYoga, 1x HP 360 computers
Algorithmics (Cambodia)
2x m7, 1xYoga, 1x HP 360 computers
Sisters of Code (Cambodia)
(1x m7, 1xYoga, 1x HP 360 computers
Chiang Mai University CAMT (Thailand)
2 m7, 1xYoga, 1x HP 360 computers
Additional Stories
Hon Houen Tuk Tuk driver
"I learned English and computers with an NGO when I was younger but I forgot everything because I don’t have a computer. I didn’t forget my English because I was working in a hotel."
His dream was to build a travel website for his tuk-tuk business so he could get rides online as opposed to only hanging outside one bus station at a time.We covered a computer for him from Teachertech (if anything just for something for him to use again) as well as one month’s additional rent with his own place vs sleeping in his tuktuk to see if he could learn independently This didn’t work out as he needed a lot more hand holding vs someone who has grown up with technology. Some of the early journey and laughs were covered in our article here
https://www.techgenerations.org/blog/wait-we-saved-a-guy-from-being-homeless
Finally, Tahmina visited us in Thailand and also used a burner Chromebook for the trip which she donated and Amy found a good home for at a Thai English community language school!
Programs We Supported
TeacherTech (Computers 4 Kidz Project, Cambodia)
Teachertech is a program that is focused exclusively on kids and teaches them both basic digital literacy and basic computer maintenance and assembly. We are one of many that provide computers that can be refurbished and given to kids with either academic potential or those with the ability to
continue to teach others. Unfortunately we relied on David and Adjani to take pictures when we dropped off the computers and they have since been lost. However the pictures below show some of the various work they do and some happy recipients of computers given by others
Code for Girls (Cambodia)
Code For Girls
Code for Girls is the brainchild of Rith Souvandalin, Cambodia’s female coder Wait there’s only one? That’s what we thought and were worried about initially.
She took some of the male and society scorn we mentioned in our intro and now has a non profit / program that introduces other girls to coding including some pretty large scale bootcamps See her Facebook page for details.There are very few girls who have made it to practical coding skills in Cambodia so far and it is nice to her giving back to build a new generation
Rith and Algorithmics are relatively tied at the hip as she juggles studying with a day job teaching there so we made it a point to split the laptop allocation so that there were some she can manage and give out on her own as well
Algorithmics (Cambodia)
Algorithmics is an international coding school franchise that teaches more practical coding skills starting from the basics and digital literacy and takes the kids all the way into a game development and web development and often does it in a more practical sense than local universities This however doesn’t come cheap. Usually only the well off can afford tuition fees and kids often do have their own machines as a result. However they occasionally sponsor free classes for the greater majority of impoverished youth, often coming from other programs like Rith’s Code for Girls and in this particular respect, we provided computers for sponsored students to keep going as well as those that can’t but excelled in their initial trial. They could still win something to take home and use!
Sisters of Code (Cambodia)
Sisters of Code (co-hosted by IT Step Phnom Penh) is an introductory program that introduces girls to coding via Scratch, AI concepts and other intro level computer topics.
Some of their trainers themselves lack computers themselves and doing what we do, we filled this gap nicely! The pictures below show one of the computers was given to one of their mentors Vapy who despite holding Bachelor's Degree in Information Technology from Royal University of Phnom Penh, still did not own a computer herself! Currently, she is an ICT Teacher at New Generation School Preah Sisowath.
Chiang Mai University - CAMT (College of Arts, Media, technology - Thailand)
Chiang Mai University the #3 ranked university in Thailand and CAMT is specifically known as the games and digital media school. Often their students are from the middle class to relatively well-off Bangkok families who can save on tuition and boarding expenses in the north. However students from rural backgrounds who are lucky to be admitted , much less with any kind of scholarship often struggle to pay for things like school uniforms let alone computers! It is these future students we provided for. Chromebooks are typically not powerful enough for anything other than light digital work or game development so it’s encouraged that these will go to first year undergrads or web development students to freelance on and earn their way up to better machines in their senior years
Dr Pradorn Sureephong is pictured below with Munly along with his assistant posing as a student using the laptops outdoors on their beautiful campus ��
