The Happy School (also known as Children for a Better Future) is a local nongovernmental organization (NGO) located in Phnom Penh which targets children of families in the poorest suburbs of the city who are vulnerable to unsafe labor, migration, exploitation, and other effects of poverty. World Education Cambodia partnered with World Education Australia (WEAL) and Australians for Cambodian Education (ACE) to assist the Happy School to integrate children into the formal education system or vocational training programs.
With support from WEAL, World Education Cambodia and ACE provided support and technical assistance to the school management team in the areas of financial and administrative management, development of by-laws and an advisory board, child protection policy development and implementation, staff recruitment and the overall process of being established as an official NGO in Cambodia. The project has helped provide two new classrooms and an office, in addition to improving the quality of education, increasing enrolment, and building the capacity of the board and staff.
In September 2009, the Happy School was officially approved for NGO status by the Ministry of Interior and registered under the name of Children for a Better Future. Children for a Better Future was officially endorsed by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport as a model nonformal school in Phnom Penh.