Girl Gone International: Supporting Women in Phnom Penh From Around the World
Any seasoned expat knows that Phnom Penh is actually a pretty small place in terms of community. When you first arrive, however, the geographical size, aesthetics, and crazy driving conditions can make it a somewhat daunting place.
For women, particularly those that may be travelling alone, it is reassuring to know that in Phnom Penh, there is a safety net available to support them as they explore the city. This network is Phnom Penh Girl Gone International (GGI).
Girl Gone International connects and empowers women of the digital generation who are working and travelling abroad.
Rose Dy, community manager of GGI’s Phnom Penh branch, has been leading its operations since 2019. Rose and I had a sit down in Eden Garden where she explained the ins and outs in greater detail.
“GGI is a thriving, fast-growing worldwide community of 500,000+ international women with local communities in over 200 cities. GGI is a non-profit, founded by Anne Scott in 2010 as a way to overcome her own social isolation while travelling and living overseas and has since grown into an identity, a way of life, friendship, and belonging.”
We are on a mission to connect, represent and empower the 112 million women living outside the country of their birth. We co-create local and global communities, offer safety, support, and friendship so that together we can go strive in every area of life no matter where we are or where we come from.”
The number of members in the Phnom Penh branch has been increasing rapidly to 1,400 travellers and settlers, connecting like-minded, independent women in support of one another across Cambodia. Rose describes herself as a “girl gone international” because her friends ask her ‘Where are you?’ instead of ‘How are you?’ after traveling to 53 countries and living in five of them.
“I have been attending GGI events since 2010. Wherever I travelled, I simply joined the events, met so many inspiring women, and discovered so many cool places. Eventually, I became the community manager of the Phnom Penh branch and have since taken my communication skills to the next level. In addition to city orientation, safety, and personal support, I also like to talk about women’s rights and empowerment in the context of this beautiful city.”
The GGI Community
Dy said the GGI community provides a safe network for a variety of get-togethers and events.
“The GGI community is full of women who frequently travel solo, who know that going solo doesn’t have to mean you have to go alone – at least not all the way. GGI has many members who join the local communities while on a solo trip just to reach out and connect with local members to explore, to meet up for coffee, or to go to an event. It is a safe port for solo female travellers. There are certain times in our lives when we need and want to share journeys with friends and peers,” she said.
“In the past, we have organised a variety of events for women with different interests, including day trips to the mountains, chasing the waterfalls in Cambodia, a weekend getaway in the islands, Kep, Kampot, pool parties, painting, afternoon tea sessions, cinema, book clubs, dinner and cocktail events, and so on.”
Dy listed the reasons why she loves Cambodia and encourages GGI members to explore the country as follow:
1) Tropical Vibes!
“I have been living & traveling in Asia since 2016 and I especially love SEA because of the tropical vibes! I like to travel with light summer clothes, swim in the pool/sea whenever I want, and eat tasty tropical fruits (Pineapple is my favourite fruit so far). Moreover, Cambodian people are also extremely friendly and happy here! I came to Cambodia a few times for holidays and I spent most of my time in the islands. I was amazed at how beautiful and affordable this country was – I then started living in Cambodia in 2019 and I am loving it!”
2) Business Opportunities
“I lived in 5 countries (UK, Canada, China, Thailand and now I am in Cambodia) and the reason why I decided to stay in Asia was to find better jobs with much better salaries. I am a creative person and whatever I do, I do with passion and creativity. I found out that there are so many business opportunities here in developing countries so that I could improve myself and find out what I really like doing in my life. Living abroad has been a beautiful journey.”
“I worked for international companies such as Vodafone, EF (Education First), Lamborghini, Maserati, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin, Mclaren, and LG Electronics in mostly marketing capacities, as my major is marketing and business administration. “
Through GGI, I also collaborated with local brands, hotels, restaurants etc in town to support their business too. There are quite a lot of women entrepreneurs here in Cambodia and I quite enjoy supporting especially women anyhow!”
3) International Friendship
“I am an extroverted person, so chairing GGI Community in Phnom Penh is perfect for me. It has been such a pleasure to run events for all the beautiful, like-minded women in PP! I love meeting new people from all around the world and getting to know their culture, language, etc. There are so many different types of people in Phnom Penh, like all the cosmopolitan cities in the world.”
Would you like to join Phnom Penh Girl Gone International?
Since GGI is non-profit, you can just send a request to the community page to sign up for the events and start your journey with GGI. There is no membership fee to join GGI and all women are encouraged to share their experience in Cambodia, ask for suggestions, introduce their businesses, projects, initiatives, blogs, events, products, or services. All the announcements on GGI page have been categorized and published separately to make it more convenient for the members to post, share and comment.
Connect to the GGI community on Facebook and visit the GGI website to learn more.
 | Cambodia |
 | https://www.cambodialifestyle.com/ |
 | +855 9 678 01791 |
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Author: Leon Havana
A trained chef and sports aficionado with extensive experience across South America and Asia. Leon’s culinary creations celebrate local flavors, while his love for sports like football and boxing connects him with local communities.
