OEURN MEALIS

I have four siblings, and I’m the oldest in a family of all girls. My father works as a construction worker, and my mother works as a gardener. Since my parents do not have a plot of land to farm on, they have worked tirelessly doing hard, manual labor to provide for our family. They’ve been doing this for about 20 years. At times, I have begged my parents to let me quit my studies so that I can help them earn a living. But they refuse, saying that as long as they’re alive, I have to continue my study. My parents believe that the reason they have to work so hard doing manual labor to take care of my siblings and me, is because they did not receive a proper education. They are looked down upon by the society for their lack of education. My parents consider themselves lucky to have children who are committed to their studies and kept up their performance in school. When I was in 12th grade, I was a student in Cambodia Community Dream Organization. They also told me they would help me pay for four years of university after high school. When I passed my national exam, I was really excited. Later, I was accepted for a government scholarship through the Royal University of Phnom Penh. I was so proud of myself, and I felt honored to have been given such a rare opportunity. My parents were also really proud of me. However with a full scholarship, my parents would still have to pay for my food and housing, and they didn’t have the money. They were also scared for my safety, as I would be far away from home. I explained my situation to the Cambodia Child Dream Organization and they said they would do their best to help fund me but they wouldn’t be able to help me out fully. Then they told me to reach out to Global Children
Cambodia.