Laura Tancredi first visited Cambodia in 1990. Back then, she was a high school student, with dreams of being a photojournalist. She left to cover the orphanages in Phnom Penh and came back in love with the Cambodian people. The beauty of the war torn country, and the resilience of young Cambodians facing the stark realities of poverty, captured her imagination and inspired her allegiance.
Laura noticed that media coverage tended to focus on the children of Cambodia. Ignored, however, were the orphanages’ young adults: the high school and college-aged kids who, although brimming with potential, lacked the resources to build themselves a future. In post Pol-Pot Cambodia, these kids had literally nowhere to go. They were the future of Cambodia, but they had no access to education.
Ten years later, Laura founded Global Children. For the last 15 years, her mission has been to provide as many Cambodian youths with a college education as she can. These kids will grow up to be Cambodia’s doctors, lawyers, and IT professionals. They rebuild their country as they build their own lives. And Laura feels incredible to be a part of that.