A US-based organisation that helps young women from post-conflict countries attend school in the United States is currently seeking Cambodian applicants who have the academic strength and leadership potential that could land them in a top US school.

The organisation, called She Can, is accepting applications through November 1, and provides each successful applicant with five female mentors who coach them on everything from college entrance exams to public speaking to internships.

Barbara Bylenga, the organisation’s founder, said the goal goes beyond providing young women with a good education and job prospects. Instead, it’s about preparing women to return to their home countries to make change. “This country doesn’t have women leaders, and girls often don’t realise their potential,” Bylenga said. “But when they are surrounded by five successful women, the girls realise their power.”

The program only reached Cambodia last year, but already four Cambodian women are enrolled in US universities, and three are preparing to apply for scholarships to enroll in 2017.