Text & photo: Sothea Lim/OEC Cambodia

Thy Veasna, an 11-year-old girl, resides in Boeung Toem village in the vicinity of Tonle Sap Lake, Sangker District, Battambang province with her grandmother, mother, and cousin.  Veasna faces many challenges in her life including her mother’s intellectual disability, which prevents her from working. This situation makes life more difficult for Veasna’s family especially considering her grandmother’s serious illness, high blood pressure.

Despite these hardships, Veasna, who is the only child in the family, actively contributes to household chores and caregiving. In her free time, she helps her family to do rice harvesting and supporting villagers in need for financial assistance. However, her family’s struggles persist, and the support from her aunt is insufficient.

Veasna is a diligent student in 5th grade at Boeng Toem Primary School. However, she faces obstacles due to lack of study materials and the long distance she walks to school, which is approximately 1 kilometer away. The school director acknowledges Veasna’s commitment but expresses concern about the possibility of her dropping out due to her family circumstances.

In 2022, Operation Enfants Du Cambodge teamed up with Aide et Action and Education Above All through its Educate A Child program. They collaborated with Fisher Folk Making Circular Economy Work for the Western Tonle Sap Lake (FOSTER) led by Oxfam and funded by the European Union to implement the Cambodia Consortium Out-of-School Children project in Tonle Sap Lake, with Boeng Toem Primary School as one of the targeted schools. This project aims to improve education and prevent student dropouts by providing scholarships and study materials.

Veasna’s situation took a positive turn after receiving assistance from the project. Her renewed motivation and dedication led to success, and she progressed to the 5th grade in the last school year. Veasna’s grandmother expressed gratitude for the project’s support, ensuring her grandchildren have sufficient learning materials.

““I will work hard to continue my studies, even in difficult situations. My dream is to become a doctor and contribute to helping my grandmother, treating my mother’s intellectual disability, and assisting people in the village.””

Veasna

FOSTER is a project funded by the European Union, currently in its third year. Its aim is to improve sustainable livelihoods and increase access to essential services (WASH and education) for fishing communities in the West Tone Sap Biosphere (TSBR.) This contributes to the reduction on the environmental pressures on TSBR and the women, men and children who live there.

Veasne, and her mother.

Veasne with her mother and brother.