Former Prime Minister Hun Sen and his family have donated a 2-hectare plot of land valued at over $10 million to furthering women’s education. The family will construct a dormitory for impoverished female provincial students who are pursuing their studies in Phnom Penh.

This decision was made following a meeting with the National Council for Women on the morning of June 4.

“This morning, I chaired a meeting of the National Council for Women. Apart from providing recommendations, I decided, as the head of my family, to build a dormitory for poor female students from the provinces who are pursuing their education in the capital,” the Senate president announced.

“After discussions with my wife and daughter, I decided to donate a 2-hectare plot of land, purchased for over $10 million and originally intended for the Bayon TV station in Chroy Changvar district, to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to build the dormitory,” he added.

The dormitory will have 120 rooms and with four students to a room, will accommodate almost 500 young women. In addition, the facility will include a health post, with a medical examination room and space for on-duty medical staff. Once the building is constructed, it will be handed over to the state and managed by the women’s ministry.

Pa Chanroeun, president of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy, viewed the donation as a charitable gesture by the Senate president, describing it as a thoughtful contribution to improving conditions for poor female students.

He also noted that the initiative will help reduce gender disparities between male and female students, which would contribute to the Kingdom’s development goals of becoming an upper-middle-income nation by 2030 and a high-income nation by 2050.

However, he did have one additional suggestion.

“To ensure these students can complete their education, in addition to providing accommodation, scholarships should be offered to support their daily living expenses,” he proposed.