PSE turns 30: Hun Manet hails “a bridge of friendship” between France and Cambodia

The Prime Minister presided, on 2 July in Phnom Penh, over the 30th-anniversary ceremony of Pour un Sourire d'Enfant and the graduation of the 2021-2024 classes, in the presence of the French Embassy.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet welcomed by Leakhena des Pallières, PSE's young director, alongside representatives of the association and its partners, including the French Embassy in Cambodia. © PSE Cambodia

Addressing the audience, the head of government paid heartfelt tribute to Christian des Pallières, who co-founded PSE with his wife Marie-France and passed away ten years ago. He praised the solid foundations laid by the couple, their long-term vision, and the values he said continue to guide the organisation's work today.

“The solid foundations he built, his long-term vision and the values he championed continue to successfully guide PSE's activities.”

Nearly 8,000 young people trained

The Prime Minister noted that the organisation has enabled close to 8,000 young Cambodians to gain training and then employment, contributing, in his words, significantly to the country's human capital development. Founded in 1996 by Christian and Marie-France des Pallières, PSE has since supported more than 15,000 children and young people from the poorest families in Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville and Siem Reap, through six programmes: nutrition, healthcare, protection, education, vocational training and family support. More than 7,000 former students are now working in skilled jobs.

The Prime Minister congratulates graduates from the 2021-2024 classes, one by one, under the red and blue banners of the PSE campus. © PSE Cambodia

This model rests on a distinctive network: sponsors in France mobilised alongside Cambodian families, combined with cooperation from private partners and the Kingdom's authorities. It is an architecture the Prime Minister was keen to publicly highlight, at a time when the debate over the role of civil society remains a sensitive one in Cambodia.

A message on civil society

Using the platform, Samdech Thipadei also rejected accusations that the government restricts the freedoms of non-governmental organisations. He said associations genuinely serving the population, such as PSE, instead enjoyed the support and cooperation of the authorities. He thanked the relevant ministries, local authorities, partners, donors, and the parents and guardians who allow children to continue their education, before instructing the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training to strengthen its cooperation with PSE to train more skilled human resources.

A DNA of international solidarity

Thirty years after Christian and Marie-France des Pallières took their first steps on Cambodia's rubbish dumps, PSE remains one of the most accomplished examples of Franco-Cambodian cooperation through civil society. Recognised as a charitable organisation and awarded the Human Rights Prize in 2000, the association continues to operate on a model combining French private generosity with Cambodian institutional partnership — a “bridge”, symbolically affirmed at this ceremony by the presence of both the Prime Minister and the French Embassy.

PSE's entire team, its volunteers and its donors have every reason to celebrate an anniversary that marks not only the life of an association, but a story of friendship between two countries, written child by child since 1996.