 "I believe education will help me for a better future! I am 20 years old now and just returned to school to study at Grade 7 again this year.
You see, I quit school when I was 16 whilst studying in Grade 7 because my family is poor. There are 8 brothers and sisters in my family and I am the 6th. My family used to have a few buffaloes and I was the one looking after them. One day, my father asked me to stop going to school and to look after the buffaloes. I wanted to take care of my family so I followed his advice.
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 "I am 5 years old and I love coming to school. I can write and sing, which makes me very happy! At school, I get to see my friends and we play games. I love eating sweets and my mother helps me brush my teeth. My dream is to eat lots of rice!"
 "I am 44 years old and have been the school director of a small primary school in the rural area of Siem Reap for more than 10 years. Before that, I was a teacher here for another 10 years...
 "Last year, I started my first year in secondary school but I quit in the same year. My parents passed away when I was only 10 and things haven been tough. In fact, I didn't enjoy school and found it really difficult to learn. Now I am 15, I help others looking after their cows. Everyday, I walk 5 cows and 2 buffalo to the field and return them home. I like sports and love playing football. However, I don't know what kind of dream job I would like to have one day."
 "I grew up in a large family with 9 siblings. Being the 3rd eldest one, I had to quit school at grade 4 and start working. I was only 13 then! I still remember crying all night when that happened!
 "I am 70 years old now and I still ride my bike every day. I like going to see what’s happening in the community and I love festivals a lot. I think I can dance very well!
 "Every day, I come here to look for snails. On a good day, I can get a bucket full of snails so that I can sell them in the market for a few dollars.
 I grew up in a single mother’s home. My father was a drunk and my mother was abused frequently. When I was young, she finally had the courage to divorce him. I guess enough is enough, but I was sad about it. Now, I have 2 children and they are at primary school age. My husband is a good man and we are happy as a family.
Since I was young, I have always been interested in beautiful things. I crossed the board to Thailand and studied at a beauty school some years ago. I first started as a hair dresser and then became a massage therapist. I have been massaging for 6 years. My dream is to open up a hair salon one day, so that I can afford to send my children to university. I think it will be great if they can work in the tourism industry here in Siem Reap."  "I am a victim of wars! One night in the 70’s, my parents were taken away and got killed in the village. Only 2 of my 4 other siblings survived together with me. Because of the war and we were very poor, I only went to school for a year. I started farming ever since and I really enjoy it!
After a few years of marriage, I became a widow as my husband passed away due to illness. So, I had to raise my children on my own, which I am very proud of. In life, I just keep going! At the age of 76 now, I still farm everyday! I want to earn more money, so that my grandchildren can attend school. I was fortunate enough to receive some help from a sponsor, who built a better home for us a year ago. I was so happy then!" |
