Before flying to Ireland Pov shared his reflections in the video message below.
Today our longstanding Country Manager Pheung Pov will fly to Ireland to become the second only Cambodian person to secure an Irish Aid Fellowship. Pov first joined SeeBeyondBorders in 2013. Since then he has made a big contribution to our organisation becaming our Country Manager in 2017. Pov will be returning to work for SeeBeyondBorders in Cambodia next year following the completion of his Masters Degree in Education at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland.
While in Ireland Pov will stay engaged with our organisation as a mentor to our incoming Country Manager, Blung Phath and the Cambodian based leadership team. He will also be engaging with SeeBeyondBorders Ireland to further connections between Cambodia and Ireland. Pov has been to Ireland twice before and in 2020 led a Ministry of Education/SeeBeyondBorders delegation on a study and collaboration visit to Ireland.
Before departing for Ireland, Pov had hoped to meet the Irish Ambassador John McCullagh in Siem Reap but unfortunately Pov became infected with Covid and was unable to meet. Pov would like to thank Ambassador McCullagh, the Irish Embassy in Vietnam, Irish Aid and the Irish Council for International Students for all their ongoing support.
Pov shared that he is nervous but excited to embark on this adventure. He notes how this will be the first time away from his family for an extended period of time. He shares however that this is an exciting opportunity and he looks forward to gaining new skills he can take back to Cambodia, for the betterment of SeeBeyondBorders and Cambodian Society.
“Without my mother I would not have gone to secondary school. Without working for SeeBeyondBorders I would not have secured the Irish Aid fellowship.” Pov
We wish Pov all the success in Ireland and look forward to engaging without him throughout his time there. Best of luck Pov!