Journey to Cambodia

The Dalton Academy ELP blog chronicles our annual Experiential Learning Program through the eyes of students. Each article features an account of a student’s experience traveling across the world for the purpose of gaining – through practical engagement – valuable insights into issues of global relevance.

In the summer of 2024, Dalton students embarked on a journey to the heart of rural Cambodia as part of a program to examine the viability of micro-financing as an instrument to overcome the problems of underdevelopment. According to Brenda Bai, one of Dalton’s participating students, the program’s mission was to connect small-scale entrepreneurs who lacked access to capital markets with investors willing to extend micro-loans at reasonable interest rates.

One of the key challenges of the program involved overcoming language and cultural barriers to explain how the loans work. Many recipients had little education, so each interview with a potential loanee required patience so that they fully understood each party’s contractual obligations.

The team spent many late nights thoroughly analysing business plans to ensure that each loan granted had a reasonable chance of being repaid. One of Brenda’s key contributions to this process involved a recommendation to loanees that they economize by using e-commerce platforms for the purchase of materials necessary for their businesses. Most of the entrepreneurs she interviewed simply purchased materials from local vendors, where they paid a marked up price.

Brenda’s insight about rational business practices exemplifies the benefits of experiential learning and international collaboration. The potential to make a meaningful impact on someone’s life raises the stakes, making the process all the more rewarding.

For Brenda, the project wasn’t ultimately about data and spreadsheets, but rather the human connection and sense of purpose one feels when helping another. In her own words, the week she spent helping Cambodian villagers with their finances was ‘a journey of self-discovery’ that allowed her to meaningfully reflect on her ability to affect change in the world.