Neeson Cripps Academy - Cambodia

As the one-time disposal site for chemical companies, hospitals, and local industry, the Steung Meanchey district of Phnom Penh was one of the largest garbage dumps in Southeast Asia, and one of the most environmentally toxic and dangerous environments in the world. While they scavenged, children and their families were under constant threat of violence, sexual abuse, trafficking, and disease. The Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) was founded in Cambodia in 2004 by former Hollywood executive Scott Neeson, with a vision to lift the community of the former landfill site out of poverty and into a new era of hope and possibility through education. The approach is based on a fundamental belief that education will provide children pathways out of poverty. 

Less than 300 metres from that dump stands the Neeson Cripps Academy (NCA), a school that has transformed the lives of children who once scavenged through garbage to survive. Many of the first children who attended the school once worked and lived on the dumpsite. Opened in 2017 as CCF's flagship facility, the NCA serves approximately 500 students annually, aged 12–23, from one of Cambodia's poorest communities, delivering a STEAM-focused education that rivals international standards.

At the NCA, students learn in exciting, hands-on ways that spark their curiosity and creativity. The unique STEAM program brings together different subjects through real-world projects, encouraging students to think critically and solve problems. Learning is collaborative and focused on practical skills, with teachers using real performances and projects to see how much students have grown.

The NCA's results are extraordinary given its context. Last year, the school achieved a 98% Grade 12 pass rate, well above the national average of 85%. 39% of graduates pursue STEM university degrees compared to a national rate of 28%, and 74% of CCF-supported university students are female, a remarkable achievement in a country with one of the region's lowest rates of women in STEM. Licensed by Cambodia's Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to deliver the national curriculum in-house, the NCA has replaced rote memorisation with project-based, cooperative, and inquiry-driven learning.

These outcomes are underpinned by a strong investment in teacher development and strategic partnerships. Teachers receive over 120 hours of initial pedagogical training plus weekly professional development, supported by a long-standing partnership with the University of Nottingham. This partnership also enables teachers to pursue an internationally recognized PGCEi from the University of Nottingham. 6 teachers have graduated, 4 are currently on the course, and more are in the pipeline. Technology partnerships with Microsoft, Adobe, and Team4Tech equip students with industry-standard tools and skills, while a mentorship program with Southampton’s Solent University pairs female criminology undergraduates with NCA girls pursuing STEM pathways.

The school's STEAM credentials are proven on the world stage. Students have represented Cambodia at the World Robot Olympiad finals in Hungary (2019) and Singapore (2025), and Grade 11 student Maly was selected for Cambodia's team at the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge in Panama. In 2020, the NCA team "The Geek" won the Technovation Cambodia National Grand Prize with Slek Rit, an app teaching children traditional Khmer stories. Alumni Sovannry and Hoarng, who began with Technovation in 2018, went on to study at the University of Melbourne, Australia’s number one university, on full scholarships. A total of 16 NCA students have been awarded scholarships through a partnership with the university’s Trinity College. Students have also gone on to win opportunities in the United States and Europe — including a CCF first: a PhD scholarship in Brussels.

CCF's work has been recognised with the International Philanthropy Award (Philanthropy Australia, 2024), the Navitas Impact Award (2024), specifically honouring NCA's STEAM program, and the ASEAN Outstanding Social Welfare and Development Award (2021).

Prize funds would strengthen teacher capacity, expand open curriculum resources to benefit Cambodia's wider public school system, and scale student-led community projects — ensuring that the pathway from garbage dump to world-class STEM education becomes a model others can follow.