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Seametrey Association

Seametrey Association, a registered private Cambodian charity, is directed by Mrs. Muoy You, Ph.D.. It runs a private school (Seametrey Children's Village) for children from pre-school through primary grades, and also facilitates a scholarship program for impoverished youth (Cambodia Youth Scholars Program).

Seametrey Children’s Village school caters mainly to Cambodian middle class and poor children.. Founded with a strong sense of mission, Seametrey is focused intensely on seeking to erase, through education, the psychological and educational deficits in Cambodia which were wrought by the Khmer Rouge war years and genocide.

Seametrey Children's Village school has about 50 paying students, and another 30 on scholarship. As a result, the paying students defray a large percentage of the school's costs. In addition, Muoy You has established a guesthouse business (You Khin House) immediately adjacent to the school. Profits from the guest house are applied toward operating costs of the school. Foreign donations account for perhaps only 15% of the school's costs.

In addition to the Seametrey Children’s Village school, the Cambodia Youth Scholars Program was begun in April 2011 to help disadvantaged Cambodian youth successfully transition to adulthood. The Scholars Program provides tuition, room and board for youth primarily at the high school and university levels. Unlike Seametrey Children’s Village school, the Scholars Program is currently dependent on charitable donations, though a model of partial self-support may become feasible at a later date. All donations on behalf of the Cambodia Youth Scholars Program are administered through Seametrey Association, but completely separate from the school's finances.

Mrs. Muoy You was in France working on an advanced degree at the time of the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in 1975. She was therefore spared the fate of her family members and many of her fellow Cambodians. She returned to Cambodia about a decade ago, after her four children were grown. In the meantime, she received a Ph.D. in French literature, and certification in Montessori training in the United Kingdom. She is fluent in Khmer, English and French. Muoy feels deeply about the damage done to Cambodian self-esteem over the past half century, and her prescription for addressing this problem is establishment of high standards of excellence and accountability.

Seametrey is a visionary project, motivated mainly by a hope for regeneration of Cambodian culture, self-respect, and honesty. Current day Cambodia is deeply damaged and corrupt., Anti-poverty programs run up against this social reality, without a plan to transform it. Children are sometimes given a reprieve from poverty, but are not especially well prepared with the pro-active habits of mind needed to effectively engage with the difficult social and economic realities they will encounter as young adults. Seametrey is different in this regard. It seeks to attack poverty by addressing its psychological, educational and cultural roots.

For more information about Seametrey and Muoy You, please visit the links at the left, including one to a Christian Science Monitor article about Muoy, a link to the Seametrey Children’s Village website, and another to the You Khin Guesthouse site.