What We Do

SeeBeyondBorders partners with those willing to support and enable its activities in improving access to and quality of education, in both developed and developing countries. We aim to bring benefits to both developed and developing communities.

In Developed Countries

We are keen to work with businesses or individuals who are interested in exploring social responsibility and have a connection with a tangible demonstration of that. We are actively looking to partner with companies who are working towards establishing a corporate social responsibility program based on a desire to give something back to those with less material wealth.

SeeBeyondBorders offers opportunities for people to participate in community development initiatives by either:

  • Joining a programme and working alongside local communities on different projects
  • Volunteering in Australia to help support our activities
  • Contributing financially, or
  • Through any combination of these.

We look for long term engagement which might typically begin with a trip to a developing country, followed by a request to support a project financially as well as the offer for their staff to engage through the trips programme.

In Developing Countries

Our partners, who hold relationships with communities willing to both welcome visitors and accompany them, underpin the whole premise of this initiative. These partners:

  • a) hold the primary relationship with the host communities where projects are undertaken
  • b) identify the context in which engagement and linkage with the host communities can occur

SeeBeyondBorders works with these partners to identify activities that are closely aligned with our aims. These activities respect local and cultural practices and limitations and may not always appear to conform to the Western view of efficiency and productivity. They aim to promote and develop sharing, cultural understanding and community building as well as underpinning the wider education development programmes.

Improving access to and quality of education

We believe in the maxim that “education breaks the cycle of poverty”. Our approach is informed and guided by the relevant educational priorities set by the Governments of each of the countries in which we work.

We believe that all children should have the opportunity to achieve at school. School should be where children are empowered through a) a learned awareness of their rights, responsibilities and abilities, and b) through development of their self-confidence, so enabling them to improve their own lives. Hence our aim, is to improve access to and quality of education.

In 2000, world leaders made commitments to reduce extreme poverty within a framework of specific targets. Known as the Millennium Development Goals and monitored through the United Nations Development Programme, they set targets such as the halving of extreme poverty and achieving universal primary education by 2015.

At SeeBeyondBorders we have adopted Goal 2 of the United Nations Development Programme which relates to education, as our primary means of impacting the lives of the communities we work with.

Cambodian Development Goals

The Royal Government of Cambodia has adopted the United Nations eight Millennium Development Goals and added a ninth goal, to demine the country and assist landmine victims. At SeeBeyondBorders our focus is on Goal Two: Universal Primary Education.

Over 94 percent of children in Cambodia (2010) are now enrolled in primary school by age five, but the dropout rate is still too high. The goal to enrol all children and ensure they receive nine full years of education is unlikely to be achieved by 2015.

Steps to boost primary education include developing pre-schools, increasing the education budget, improving teaching standards, providing free transportation to school age children and allocating scholarships to target students from poor families.