The Hackman-Cohanpour School  

The American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC) Rural Schools Project is a program that builds secondary schools for girls in rural Cambodia by matching a $13000 donation with equivalent sums from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. In the poorest areas of Cambodia, a secondary education for girls will provide them with vocational skills that will, in turn, protect them against the constant threat of sex-trafficking. Over 800,000 girls are trafficked yearly across international borders, and the treatment they receive inside the brothels in which they are forced to work is devastating. If girls are not tortured to death for disobedience, they will often contract AIDS and die before turning 30. Thus, by building a school, we will directly hinder the paths of sex-traffickers by saving our students one-by-one. Any size donation will help us draw closer to reaching our goal.

All donations will be directly applied to the $13000 sum needed in order to build the Hackman-Cohanpour School for Girls. We will update this site periodically with our progress, as well as news about events we plan to hold.

For more information or to find out how you can help, contact us, or visit AAfC’s website, CambodiaSchools.com.

Michelle Hackman {Contact}

Michelle Hackman is a freshman at Yale University pursuing a dual degree in psychology and political science. She first stumbled upon the American Asistance for Cambodia in a blog post by New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof, which immediately inspired her to pursue the construction of her own school. On campus, she also volunteers at Yale's Women's Center, writes for the Yale Daily News, and conducts behavioral science researchat Yale Medical School. In her spare time, Michelle enjoys consuming news, walking city blocks, and grabbing a bubble tea with friends.

Daniel Cohanpour {Contact}

Daniel Cohanpour is a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University. A short while ago, Michelle approached Daniel in regards to a project that American Assistance for Cambodia implemented, known as the “Rural School Project.” He became increasingly interested in the project, and began working with Michelle on fundraising for the school. Daniel is interested in going into the field of politics and is hoping to move out to Washington in the near future. During his free time, Daniel loves to do social science research, debate in Model UN, and eat frozen yogurt with Michelle at their development meetings.

Daniel Hakimi, Webmaster {Contact}
Daniel Hakimi is pursuing degrees in Computer Science and Philosophy at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Class of 2012. After that, he intends to go into intellectual property law. He became interested in the project while talking to Michelle, his cousin. In his free time, he works in student government on the Union Executive Board, serves as a Senior Officer of RPI-Sage Hillel, and as a member of RPI's literary magazine, Statler & Waldorf.

Naomi Hakimi, PR Coordinator {Contact}

New York Times op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof is a prominent AAfC supporter who mentions the organization frequently in his 2009 book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Kristof built his own junior high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, through the Rural Schools Project. Bringing his family to the initiation ceremony to open the school, he discussed the experience on his blog, which served as Michelle and Daniel’s inspiration.

The Hackman-Cohanpour School for Girls will provide rural girls with a higher education that will endow them with useful skills and protect them from the constant threat of sex trafficking. All donations put towards the $13000 price of building this school will be wired directly to American assistance for Cambodia. Other than a 2.2% fee charged by all PayPal interactions, no donated money will contribute to website fees or any other maintenance costs. All donors will receive tax-deductable receipts.