The Schools for Life (SFL) Program, funded by USAID, expanded on the good practices and lessons learned from the 3 ½-year Educational Support for Children in Underserved Populations (ESCUP) Program. The project continued to address the issues of access and quality of education for marginalized youth in Cambodia through improved school management and educational capacity. A school grant component offered schools a choice of interventions appropriate to their context and need.
A total of 245 schools (220 primary and 25 lower secondary schools) in three target provinces in Cambodia received assistance under the SFL project. In all, SFL provided support to about 92,039 children and 2,439 teachers. The SFL project saw major increases in school efficiency with 59% of schools reporting a reduction in dropouts from baseline levels, while 64% of schools reported a decline in grade repetition.