Proud to Be a Girl: Empowering Girls in Cambodia

Somphors is a woman in Hagar Cambodia's care.  She is a shining example of the empowerment of women and girls in Cambodia.  Thank you for helping empower her to be proud to be a girl!

Somphors' Story:

Somphors’ life hasn’t been easy. When her parents divorced, her father remarried. With his new family established, her father decided to sell Somphors to a farming family in Kampong Cham province to work as their buffalo herder. But shortly after that, her new owners sent her to work as a housekeeper for a family in Phnom Penh. She was made to work very hard. This new family mistreated her violently.

But one day, a woman working in a health center in Phnom Penh rescued her and Somphors was referred to Hagar for safe shelter.

In 2012, Somphors was transitioned into semi-independent living. In addition to her studying – grade 11- she worked as a waitress part time in order to earn some money to complement the support she received from Hagar. It was then that she started a short-lived relationship with her co-worker. But a few months later, she discovered she was pregnant and dropped out of school. Her Hagar case manager along with other Hagar staff explored options. The decision was taken to refer Somphors to Mother’s Heart, a Phnom Penh based organization providing support and services for pregnant women in Somphors’ situation.

Somphors is now 24 years old and she now lives independently with her 2 years old daughter. And this is greatly thanks to close support provided by her Mother’s Heart and Hagar case managers. A better suited job was identified for her to support her and daughter and their living costs. She is now working in one of Phnom Penh’s bakery shops earning a good salary.

Somphors loves her job because she sees in it the opportunity to grow in future. She is happy to share about her experiences to encourage other clients to work harder in life. Future dreams are now possible because of her new job.

When thinking back on her childhood Somphors remembers her father taking her to live with a family that they knew. But at the time she didn’t realise she was being sold by her father. Life with that family was very hard, and she was forced to work long hours under the beating sun and monsoon rains in the fields with the buffaloes, from dusk to dawn. 

“I never imagined I could escape from that place where it was nothing but suffering, to a place as good as where I am currently living.” She added that she would thank Hagar for all their support, how they never gave up despite challenges. If she hadn’t joined Hagar’s program, she doesn’t thing she would be here today and wouldn’t have understood the value of her life.