This article was written in 2008 while I was working for World Vision Cambodia.
Title: Sponsorship becomes key
to Ney’s transformation
“I am an eldest daughter among three
siblings. I am ashamed to talk about my past but I would like to share,” said
15 year-old little girl, Ney Sok.
Ney Sok is already 15 but she is small and skinny. One could think she is just seven years old. Although Ney Sok is small, she is very brave, smart and very outspoken. Her health is not quite well, always having headaches. She got seriously sick when she was six and since then, her growth was very slow.
“My health is not good so I am not as big as children my age in the village. I also felt I was not a good daughter because I am too lazy to help in the house chores – even in taking a bath or take care of my personal hygiene”, Ney Sok shares with honesty.
“I didn’t like learning because I didn’t have enough school materials and was ashamed to go to school because of my unusually small size compared to other students. Everyday my mother brought me to school and watched for me because she is afraid I run back home. Sometimes I really go home and skip classes whenever my mother was not around”, she adds.
Ney Sok said she was bored going to school and doing her assignments. “I never did my school work nor helped in school activities. I just thought there are too many children to do the activities so I do not need to help,” explains Ney.
“For housework, I believed it was my mother’s responsibility, not mine. My mother would always remind me to clean myself but I was too lazy I ignored her. I hated work. All I want to do is sleep and eat,” confesses Ney further.
In 2002, things changed when Ney became a World Vision sponsored child through the Kshach Kandal Area Development Programme. “I was really surprised when I heard that I became a sponsorship child. I got a lot of encouragement from the sponsorship staff and also advise about education and hygiene. Aside from school materials, I regularly received toothpaste, toothbrush and cute school materials. These challenged me to use them or I will not get anymore”, Ney narrated with a smile.
She was also able to attend trainings that made her aware about child rights, hygiene, education, and domestic violence. She said, “The trainings were very helpful, they taught me that school is important if I want a bright future. The staff members always spend time to guide me how to read and write. I see my parents’ smile when I started to go to school and clean myself,” adds Ney.
“Now, I help my mother to do housework, cooking, cleaning house – things I hardly did before. I began to appreciate proper hygiene. My health has greatly improved since then”, she further shares.
Ney has become an outstanding student and made a lot of friends. She loves Mathematics and looks forward to her bright future. “I want to be a good teacher, so I am able to transfer my knowledge to next generation children in my community,” she says, adding, “I would like to say million thanks to World Vision for helping guide me like my parents. I will keep sharing to other children not to quit studying and never to do what I did in the past.”
Ney’s mother San, 35, says happily, “It is unbelievable that my daughter has changed completely – thanks to World Vision. I hope my daughter’s story would be an example for other children.”
Ney Sok is already 15 but she is small and skinny. One could think she is just seven years old. Although Ney Sok is small, she is very brave, smart and very outspoken. Her health is not quite well, always having headaches. She got seriously sick when she was six and since then, her growth was very slow.
“My health is not good so I am not as big as children my age in the village. I also felt I was not a good daughter because I am too lazy to help in the house chores – even in taking a bath or take care of my personal hygiene”, Ney Sok shares with honesty.
“I didn’t like learning because I didn’t have enough school materials and was ashamed to go to school because of my unusually small size compared to other students. Everyday my mother brought me to school and watched for me because she is afraid I run back home. Sometimes I really go home and skip classes whenever my mother was not around”, she adds.
Ney Sok said she was bored going to school and doing her assignments. “I never did my school work nor helped in school activities. I just thought there are too many children to do the activities so I do not need to help,” explains Ney.
“For housework, I believed it was my mother’s responsibility, not mine. My mother would always remind me to clean myself but I was too lazy I ignored her. I hated work. All I want to do is sleep and eat,” confesses Ney further.
In 2002, things changed when Ney became a World Vision sponsored child through the Kshach Kandal Area Development Programme. “I was really surprised when I heard that I became a sponsorship child. I got a lot of encouragement from the sponsorship staff and also advise about education and hygiene. Aside from school materials, I regularly received toothpaste, toothbrush and cute school materials. These challenged me to use them or I will not get anymore”, Ney narrated with a smile.
She was also able to attend trainings that made her aware about child rights, hygiene, education, and domestic violence. She said, “The trainings were very helpful, they taught me that school is important if I want a bright future. The staff members always spend time to guide me how to read and write. I see my parents’ smile when I started to go to school and clean myself,” adds Ney.
“Now, I help my mother to do housework, cooking, cleaning house – things I hardly did before. I began to appreciate proper hygiene. My health has greatly improved since then”, she further shares.
Ney has become an outstanding student and made a lot of friends. She loves Mathematics and looks forward to her bright future. “I want to be a good teacher, so I am able to transfer my knowledge to next generation children in my community,” she says, adding, “I would like to say million thanks to World Vision for helping guide me like my parents. I will keep sharing to other children not to quit studying and never to do what I did in the past.”
Ney’s mother San, 35, says happily, “It is unbelievable that my daughter has changed completely – thanks to World Vision. I hope my daughter’s story would be an example for other children.”
-Ends-
No comments:
Post a Comment