A demanding 15-hour-a-day schedule saw the envoys up at sunrise, ready to be transported in a convoy of four mini-vans to various Unicef-supported projects around the capital city of Phnom Penh and in the provinces.

In five days, the envoys attended 14 meetings, including visits to schools, health and education centres, a youth vocational training centre, a child protection project, a youth run television centre, starving street children scavenging at a rubbish dump, an Aids/HIV clinic, and a landmine casualty rehabilitation centre.

In a meeting with the deputy director of the Provincial Office of Education for Kampong Thom, they shared their impressions, and gave recommendations on how to improve the schools.

'What we have done this week may not help practically speaking, but by showing them respect we can support them,' said Daniel Lau Tsz-kin, 18.

Cambodians are among the world's poorest people.

The infant mortality rate is one of the highest in the world, and HIV/Aids is a major health concern. Millions of buried landmines, a high level of malaria infection in rural areas and crime and corruption have further hampered its development.

'We have witnessed the Cambodians' strong determination to build a better future,' said Fioni Cheung Ka-hei, 15.

Tomoo Hozumi, the senior programme co-ordinator of Unicef in Cambodia, urged the students to share what they have seen.

'In wealthy nations we imagine the situation to be a miserable one. But you can see there are people here taking action.

'It's important to have that balanced picture' he said.

The students will now work on a publication documenting their trip.