By Kristine Andersen | Project Coordinator
A year ago, Sokhan* was 43 years old, had no home and no parents. She went to Siem Reap province to live with her younger sister, her husband and two children. Due to domestic violence, it was not safe for her to stay, so she decided to move to Phnom Penh to live with her younger brother instead. Later, her sister got divorced and came to live with Sokhan and their brother, together with her two children. Without any skills or experience, it was hard for them to earn a living. The sister managed to get a job at a factory, while Sokhan stayed home to care for her niece and nephew. Their brother worked in marketing with low income and long working hours.
Sokhan decided to come to COLT to register her nephew for English classes at our community school. While her nephew studied, Sokhan volunteered to clean and tidy around the center. When a job opening presented itself, Sokhan was hired as a housekeeper to help out with daily tasks at COLT. As she developed and learned new skills, she later became a nanny in our daycare.
While her nephew studies at our community school and her niece is safe in our daycare, Sokhan works along experienced workers and learns new important skills like gardening, cooking and childcare. She is able to support her family and their living conditions have improved. Since January, Sokhan has received daily vocational training in child development, childcare and Khmer teaching from COLT’s daycare supervisor. She has also followed daily English lessons with a foreign volunteer, assisted by one of our local staff members, in order to learn new vocabulary and greetings.
Understandably, activities are now suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to continuing Sokhan's training when we have gotten through this crisis together and things are back to normal.
We would like, once again, to express our deepest gratitude for your support. Thanks to you, people like Sokhan and her family are given a second chance in life.
*Name has been changed to protect the identity.
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