In late 2020, the Cufa board decided to honor Margot Sweeney OAM for her work and dedication to Cufa through the creation of the Margot Sweeny OAM Education Scholarship, providing the opportunity for one Cufa staff member to develop their work-related skills and technical competence. After various staff members applied to the opportunity, Cufa’s Project Coordinator Tola Chhorn, was selected as the recipient of this scholarship. Tola, mostly known at Cufa for his work with the Village Entrepreneur program in Cambodia, has spent over 10 years ensuring that Village Entrepreneurs receive all skills and funding needed to empower them out of extreme poverty.

The scholarship, which amounts $3,000 for educational expenses, has allowed Tola to commence his 2-year master’s degree in Business Management at the National Institute of Business.  Thanks to his postgraduate studies, Tola’s work in the field has become even more important in achieving Cufa’s vision to lift individuals out of poverty in the Asia-Pacific region.

As Tola continues on his second year, his studies already reflect his work on the VE program. Among these new improvements, Cufa now provides VEs with comprehensive business plans, including marketing and sales strategies. His new approach to entrepreneurial work encourages the VEs to better manage their resources and exploit the benefits of social media.