Proud to Be a Girl: Empowering Girls in Cambodia

When Hagar’s partner found Arunny, she was working in a karaoke bar, in poor conditions and with minimal pay. Arunny was very unhappy, she had wound up working there after a great deal of sadness in her family. Her mother had died, and her father had not wanted to care for her. He shortly remarried and moved away, leaving Arunny with no choice but to seek work. A friend was working in a karaoke bar, and Arunny saw a way out. She was devastated by the loss of her mother and the abandonment of her father, and she didn’t feel as if she had been left with any choice in what she did next.  

 Arunny describes herself before coming to Hagar as shy, silent, and easily afraid. Someone would speak to her in a loud voice, and she would cry. Now, she says she is more confident and can stand up for herself. Hagar’s Economic Empowerment (EE) team has been working with Arunny for four months. They gave her work readiness training, ensuring that she was ready for the workforce and knew common work place etiquette. Her EE officer helped her to find opportunities for training through Hagar Catering, and Arunny started off her six weekly training rotation in the widely renowned Intercontinental Hotel. Not only is Arunny growing in basic skills, but she is being trained by some of the best in the business.  

 As a person, Arunny feels she has grown since she started work, “I feel that before I was a bit shy, but now I am open to talking about my problems with staff. I am open to getting advice from the trainer or the staff there. I’m braver. I am more open minded when I get advice.” As far as her skills go, Arunny has learnt so much. She shares that she feels confident with her skills, she’s good at chopping vegetables and preparing meals. Arunny hopes to learn to make sour soup, it’s her favourite thing to eat. Beyond hoping for a good sour soup recipe, Arunny dreams of owning her own cooking stall.  

 Now, Arunny says that she is strong and empowered, but that she knows she has some growing to do. She wants to be like her boss as she continues to grow, because she cares about her employees, Arunny says she will often check in with them to see how they are feeling. She says that she loves the environment, not only is she happy to develop her skills and work in the area that she loves, but she’s grateful for the staff and the way that they encourage and support her.  

 Arunny will continue to be supported by Hagar as she journeys towards becoming a fully qualified chef, with staff members walking each step of the journey with her 

Life growing up in Takeo province was simple. My father was a fisherman, and my mother stayed at home. My parents struggled to support us financially, my mother did her best to find small jobs to make ends meet, but my father would waste our money by visiting brothels. I had three siblings.  

My father contracted HIV, which he passed onto my mother, and my youngest brother was born with it. They had no access to medication because we lived so rurally. My mother passed away, shortly followed by my brother. My father's health eventually deteriorated, and he passed away too. 

My elder sister knew the manager of an NGO who was living in nearby, and the NGO took us in.  I was 11 years old when my sister and I were sent to live with foster parents- a foreign couple. They looked after us so well, while we were in their home and I felt good and safe. We lived with them for six years. It was a happy time. 

We went to school and received services from the NGO. Five years after they took me into their care, I had a problem with the manager. He raped me, and it soon came to light that he was raping many other children. Many young girls were sexually assaulted by the manager, as was another boy I knew quite well.  We didn’t tell adults, but word spread. 

One day, MoSVY (Ministry of social affairs, youth and veterans) and the police came to interview me and the others. It was very scary, and they decided to close our NGO.  

We were all referred to other NGO's so that we could continue to get support, but most of us were separated. I had to change schools, everything in my life was topsy-turvy, I had a new foster family and had to make new friends. I felt alone. 

After a transition period, I was referred to Hagar just over a year ago. Before, I was depressed, but Hagar helped me. When I first met my case manager, I was afraid to tell him my story. I was scared of sharing my thoughts in case I would be judged. But as he encouraged me, I opened up. I started having dreams for the future and planning my life. After soft skills training at Hagar, I chose to become a barista at a café.  

At first when I joined Joma Cafe, I found it quite difficult. I wasn't as fast and I didn't know much as other staff, but I am learning and enjoying it. I like working at Joma, but in the long term, I would like to learn more about makeup and become a makeup artist. 

I would like to say thank you to Hagar for providing skills and allowing me to get a job placement. I didn’t know about anything before but I now have a plan and a job. I feel like my dreams are coming true.