‘Sous-dey’, the informal form of ‘hello’ used ubiquitously in Cambodia, was a word that Von Vorn struggled to write when she first joined the Factory Literacy Programme (FLP-SkillsFuture) conducted at her workplace. Today, she’s among the first FLP-SkillsFuture graduates at her factory.
In Pou Senchey district of Phnom Penh, just north of the airport, the production lines at Olive Factory were already a hive of activity at 10 a.m., with the sounds of machines stitching or cutting through hundreds of pieces of fabric. Von Vorn is concentrating hard at the cutting section, as she expertly moves the cutting machine through yards of lime green fabric.
Von Vorn was among the first group of workers who completed literacy classes conducted at Olive Factory, which first started implementing FLP-SkillsFuture in 2020. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) and UNESCO, in cooperation with the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia, have built implementing partnership with factories in eight provinces to offer literacy classes to their employees.
Designed to support factory workers in gaining functional literacy and numeracy skills, FLP-SkillsFuture literacy classes are held at the partner factories themselves to provide flexible learning to workers. Learners who complete both levels of FLP-SkillsFuture will earn an accredited certificate equivalent to Grade 6. It was through the literacy classes that Von Vorn learned how to write the word ‘sous-dey’, a casual greeting used every day, in Khmer for the first time.
Functional literacy refers to a set of skills needed to read and write to be able to perform simple everyday functions. These functions can be as common as reading and writing text messages to your family, friends or colleagues, or being able to read signs in everyday situations.
I used to face difficulties when I do grocery shopping at the market, because the vendors would ask me to pick out items on my own, but I couldn’t read basic information or check the expiry date of the products
Von Vorn has always maintained a positive outlook on life despite her humble family background growing up in the rural parts of Prey Veng province. She recalled how her family was very poor, and that her parents migrated to Thailand to seek better employment opportunities to support the family.
I am the eldest of five siblings so there was a lot of responsibility for me to support my family. I dropped out of Grade 2 so that I can take care of my younger brother and sisters. When I was 10, I was helping my parents as a farmhand cutting sugarcanes and palm fruits to supplement our family’s income.
In Cambodia, for many women with lower levels of skills and education like Von Vorn, the garment industry remains the top destination to gain formal employment that provides regular income. Women make up nearly four-fifths of the garment sector workforce, often from rural areas – more than 80 percent of households with at least one family member working in the garment, textile and footwear industry are located in rural areas of Cambodia.
Von Vorn first began working at a garment factory in her own province in 2014, before moving to Phnom Penh to join Olive Factory in 2016. In early 2020, when the management first announced the launch of FLP-SkillsFuture at her factory, she was delighted. It was an opportunity for her to complete her primary education.
I called my mother the day the classes were announced. She agreed that it was a great opportunity for me and supported my decision to join the programme.
As a young mother, Von Vorn had other considerations – if taking one hour each week during working hours would reduce her wages. Fortunately, for Von Vorn, the management of Olive Factory is committed to support their workers to join the programme and works with line supervisors to minimize disruptions to production and other workers. Importantly, the factory continues to pay wages and benefits to all workers joining the weekly one-hour FLP-SkillsFuture classes.
I feel very fortunate that I received so much support from everyone – my teacher, other colleagues attending classes together with me, and my supervisor who supported my decision to join the programme. My teacher would use Facebook Messenger and Telegram to support us and share different learning materials and resources.
For Von Vorn, she used to feel like she was bothering others as she had to rely on their help to read out text messages to her in the past. Now that she can read and write in Khmer after joining FLP-SkillsFuture, she feels more confident and can actively be a part of conversations and discussions – a fundamental function to connect with other people.
I used to feel inferior to others because I couldn’t read. Now I’m really proud of myself that I’m able to read and write. I can also read the news on Facebook and Telegram.
Back at the production line, Von Vorn also felt that she has improved at work from the literacy and numeracy skills she has gained. A major difference is that she is now able to read and better understand the written instructions on how to operate various machines at the cutting section. Now she makes fewer mistakes and can communicate more effectively with her supervisor and other colleagues.
Now I can read the labels and understand different types of fabric. I understand measurements, so I know exactly how long the rolls of fabric I work with are.
As one of the first workers to complete FLP-SkillsFuture, Von Vorn is now sharing her journey to literacy with her fellow colleagues. She would speak with those who are illiterate or have low levels of literacy and share more information to encourage them to join FLP-Skills Future.
Like me initially, they worry that their wages will be deducted if they join the literacy classes. By talking to them and sharing my experience, I help them to understand that they will continue to receive wages even if they take one hour off to join the literacy classes.
The Factory Literacy Programme (FLP-SkillsFuture) is part of the second phase of the Decent Employment for Youth in Cambodia (DEY), a joint UN programme supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and UNESCO, in synergy with UNESCO’s Capacity Development for Education (CapED) programme. Since its launch, more than 2,500 workers (95% of which were women) have benefitted from the programme. Learn more.
