Good morning. This is Yasuda from the Cambodia Bicycle Project. Today, I’d like to write about the support I provide through the Dalnee Scholarship.

The Trigger

“Why don’t you support someone?”
–That was the beginning of it all.

I discovered the Dalnee Scholarship through a casual comment from a friend.

Since then, I’ve supported five children each year, one from each of the five countries: Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Before I knew it, 10 years had passed since I started supporting these children. How quickly time has passed, and I am genuinely grateful for the encounters and lessons I’ve learned through this activity.

A System to Monitor Growth Over Three Years

The Dalnee Scholarship provides support for three years of junior high school, from enrollment to graduation.

After each scholarship recipient’s three years are over, support for a new first-year junior high school student begins the following year.
One of the great things about this program is that I receive photos of the children I support every year and get to watch them grow.

Support may change midway.

However, not all children will survive the three years.
Occasionally, a student will change during the program.
When this happens, the reason is written next to the photo. There are two main reasons.

The first is,
“They moved outside the Dalny Scholarship support area.”
This is unavoidable and beyond the organization’s control. The staff are doing their best within the limited area.

The other reason is,
“They had to work due to poverty and dropped out of school.”
Every time I see this, my heart aches.
Education is the most essential factor in escaping poverty, yet some children miss out on it.
Every time I learn of this reality, it forces me to reconsider what each of us can contribute.

This support was the origin of the Cambodia Bicycle Project.

In fact, my encounter with the Dalny Scholarship led me to travel to Cambodia, where I met local scholarship recipients and children, and ultimately to the current Cambodia Bicycle Project. The Minsai Center, which manages the Dalny Scholarship, is an essential partner in the Cambodia Bicycle Project.
Without that one word from my friend, I might not have been able to do what I do today.

For the future of children, I will continue to support their learning through the Dalny Scholarship.

Over the past 10 years, I have seen many smiles and realities.
That’s why I will continue to support children’s learning through the Dalny Scholarship.

If this article has inspired you to do something,
Please visit the official website of the Dalny Scholarship.

👉For more information, click here (Dalnee Scholarship website: https://www.minsai.org/LP/).

Three years for one person can make a big difference in a child’s life.
That’s the kind of support you can find here.

Hello everyone. I am Yasuda from the Cambodia Bicycle Project.

A letter from scholarship recipient Linna-chan

I received a letter from scholarship recipient Linna-chan, which I post irregularly.

※Click here for an article with more details about Linna-chan. (I am sorry that I wrote this article in Japanese.)

I received this chart with her explanation.

“Teacher, how are you all? The first semester of my third year is over. I’ll finish in one semester.

Below are my exam results. My name is on line 12.”

Number 12 is Linna-chan. She only got one “B+,” and the rest were all As. Two students got all As, so she’s third in a class of 29! It looks like she’s studying hard.

The exam subjects.

Gender Integration in the Health Sector
Community Health Nursing
Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing
Fundamental Health Education
Gerontological and Palliative Care
Emergency Nursing and First Aid
Pediatric Nursing I & II
Pediatric Nursing III
Overview of Primary Health Care
Home Health Nursing
Emergency Nursing and First Aid Practice

Message from Her

I replied immediately.

Yasuda: “Good evening. Your exam results were amazing! I’m so glad you studied so hard. I look forward to seeing you in December. I first met you exactly 10 years ago, in 2015. You’ve grown and continued to pursue your dream of becoming a nurse. It’s almost here! I’m so happy to be able to support you in making that dream a reality.”

Linna: “I was so lucky to have met Dr. Lork Kru that year, and I’m so grateful for all your continued support. I’ll study harder than ever to make my dream come true. Thank you so much for supporting me in making my dream a reality. However, this year there have been more curriculum changes than ever before, and the workload to manage is enormous. Furthermore, the school’s operations aren’t running smoothly or efficiently, which has made it tough. 😔”

She had many challenges, but I hope you’ll work hard over the next six months, graduate, and pass your final nursing exam.

Hello, this is Yasuda from the Cambodia Bicycle Project.

Thanks to your generous support, we’ll be able to provide many children with the freedom to commute to school and the opportunity to learn again this year. I appreciate your support!

In rural Cambodia, schools are far away, and many children have to walk more than an hour to get there. By providing bicycles to these children, we hope to protect their educational opportunities.

Support details for 2025

・School bicycles: 330
・New bicycle repair clubs: 5
・Parts supplies to existing clubs: 44

We’ve donated 330 bicycles, the highest number since our project began in 2016. We’ve also established five new bicycle repair clubs. We’ll also be providing parts supplies to the 44 bicycle repair clubs we’ve established so far.

Hello everyone. I am Yasuda from the Cambodia Bicycle Project.

A Letter from Scholarship Recipient Kinna

I received a letter from Linna, a scholarship recipient, in our irregular series.

I received this photo.

I asked her what she was doing.

She told me that she visits local villages to educate and raise awareness about disease prevention measures. She gathers information from residents, writes reports, and then instructs them on how to prevent illness. She seemed worried, saying, “It’s essential, but the residents don’t seem to understand.”

I told her, “You’ll probably face many challenges, but it’s wonderful to be able to use your expertise and experience to help others, so do your best!”

She replied, “It’s going to be difficult, but I won’t give up. I’m going to study hard to become a nurse!”

I can’t wait to meet her again, a much stronger woman, when I visit Cambodia in December!

Good evening. I am Katsuya Yasuda from the Cambodia Bicycle Project.
Today, I would like to introduce a study book on the Cambodian language, Khmer.

Cambodia: What Do You Say in Such Situations? by Miwako Ide (Rengo Publishing)

I bought this book in October 2023. That means it took me nearly two years to finish reading it.

I originally purchased it on Mercari as part of my Khmer language studies. When I first picked it up, I must admit I was a little puzzled. The pronunciation was written entirely in katakana. Since I wanted to study the script itself, my first impression was slightly disappointing: “If only Khmer characters had been included as well…” That is also why it took me so long to finish—after reading about ten pages, I put it away on the shelf for quite some time.

However, about a month ago, it caught my eye again on the bookshelf, and I decided to give it another try. As I continued reading, my impression of the book completely changed. It turned out not to be just a phrasebook, but rather a lively collection of the author’s experiences and daily life during her stay in Cambodia. It read almost like an essay, full of enjoyable anecdotes. Scenes of shopping in the market, casual conversations with locals, and cultural or customary episodes—each phrase was introduced with concrete, real-life situations that made it easy to picture the setting in my mind. I often found myself thinking, “I’d like to use this phrase if I were in that situation.”

Since I am already studying Khmer, seeing familiar words written in katakana gave me a strange sense of closeness. Many expressions overlapped with what I had heard in honest conversations with Cambodians, and I often thought, “Ah, so this is how I should say it.” At the same time, I encountered many words and phrases that were entirely new to me. I had assumed it was just a simple conversation guide, but in reality, it was filled with discoveries. The initial concern I had—“Without the script, this book might feel lacking”—was replaced by the realization, “In the end, this turned out to be a handy study resource.”

I believe the actual value of this book lies not only in introducing words but also in allowing readers to feel the “living Khmer language” through the author’s real experiences. Of course, studying grammar and script at a desk is essential, but learning words alongside the atmosphere of the country and the expressions of its people helps us understand the culture more deeply. For me, this book became both a language reference and a window that brought Cambodia much closer to my everyday life.

If you are interested in Khmer, or if you would like to know more about life and culture in Cambodia, this book is an excellent place to start. It goes beyond the boundaries of a language-learning text and can also be enjoyed as an essay. I highly recommend it not only to beginners of the language but also to anyone with an interest in Cambodia!

Hello, this is Yasuda from the Cambodia Bicycle Project.

Starting today, I would like to introduce five children whom we visited during home visits as part of the Cambodia Bicycle Project 2024.

Phal Sophart

The first child is Phal Sophart. In the photo, he is standing on the far left of his family. He is now 14 years old and has six siblings. He has one older sister, Sophart, who is the second child, and the remaining four are as shown in the picture. By the way, the girl next to him is his younger sister, currently in 5th grade.

Sophart says he enjoys mathematics and the Khmer language. As for his dream for the future, he hasn’t found anything obvious yet. He said, “Maybe I’d like to become a bicycle repairman…” I encouraged him by saying, “Then you should practice a lot with your own bicycle you’ve received!” Incidentally, his younger sister, in the 5th grade, says she wants to become a primary school teacher.

Regarding his family’s situation, his father works as a laborer on construction sites. Of course, it is not a steady job, so his income is unstable. His mother, who also appears in the photo, works helping with farm labor.

I genuinely hope that Sophart continues going to school diligently and will be able to support his family in the future.

About the Bicycle He Received

Sophart is a first-year junior high school student at Moung Russei Junior High School in Moung Russei District, Battambang Province. He was born in February 2011, so he was 13 years old at the time of our visit; now, he should be 14 years old.

I looked for the photo from the bicycle donation ceremony.

Here it is! Bicycle No. 127. According to our records, the supporter is Mr. Yoshiyuki Hirano, who has been donating bicycles every year since 2018.

Sophart’s School (Moung Russei Junior High School)

In 2024, a Bicycle Repair Club was also established at Moung Russei Junior High School, where Sophart studies.

Here is the homepage of the Bicycle Club. With GPS information from smartphones, you can also find its location on Google Maps, so we have included a photo from there as well.

The establishment of the Bicycle Repair Club was made possible through the support of Sakiyamagumi Corporation (Ms. Hiroko Matsunaga). Ms. Matsunaga has also been a long-time supporter, generously contributing to bicycle donations, the establishment of bicycle clubs, and the provision of spare parts since 2018.