This article was written in 2009 while I was working for World Vision Cambodia.
Virak leaves his gang to start a new life
As one travels from Phnom Penh to the
western part of the country, a new bridge is being built across
the Tonle Sap Lake. Many small houses were once standing nearby the bridge,
among them Virak’s family but lost their land when the government decided to
build the bridge. Each family was paid for the land they lost.
Virak’s house is really old and small. When one walks through it, the entire shack shakes and rattles. The stench coming from the dirty water below has overpowering smell, and one would never find anything dropped on the pond.
Virak looks like a wise boy as he sat near his mother saying,” Our new house will be finished soon. My father is building it himself.”
“Actually, my father is always drunk and I am so scared to even look at him because I am scared he will hit me. He always has been cruel to me and my siblings, throwing us to the wall when he is angry for reasons we cannot understand,” sadly says Virak, 16, who is the third son among four siblings.
“If he is not drunk but in a bad mood, he still hits me, my siblings and my mother. He just gets violent to his family to release his anger,” adds Virak.
Thus, there was no peace in Virak’s family. Wanting to get away, Virak joined gang and did not attend school. His time was spent having fun, gambling, drinking alcohol, motor racing and picking fights with village teenagers.
“I spent all my school hours with my gang mates. I don’t want to return home because my parents would get angry and scold me and my father will punish me,” shares Virak.
“I thought before that gambling, motor racing and stirring up quarrel with others are much more exciting than going to school and doing house work,” recounts Virak looking at the ground and visibly embarrassed.
Things gradually changed when Virak and his parents attended World Vision training about the ill effects of violence and how they can help reduce or stop the vicious cycle.
Virak got interested and participated in other trainings in the communities. This prompted Virak and his parents to help one another improve their lives.
Now, Virak is back in school. He began to love learning instead of having senseless fun with gangs and is determined to live a better life with his family.
“I changed myself when I saw my father getting a job as a driver and stopped being violent to us after he attended the World Vision trainings,” smiles Virak.
Virak stopped going out with bad company. He says, “I have even tried convincing my friends to stop their bad habits and go back to school. I tell them that doing those bad things will get us nowhere but towards an empty future.”
“From then on, I study well to learn. I like Khmer literature among other subjects in my class. I always spend my free time drawing pictures; I like drawing animals and rice fields because I would feel good and refreshed. I want to be a doctor someday because I could help the poor and I would also earn lot of money,” says Virak.
There is peace in Virak’s family now, and the new house will be built in the next one month more. His parents always use good words to each other and to all children. Everyday Virak goes school and returns home on time to help his mother with the housework. Virak gets a good grade in class.
“I thank World Vision for providing me with school supplies that make learning easier. I am so happy being a sponsored child,” he says.
“Virak is a good boy now. It is unbelievable that he has changed. He helps me with the housework, and takes his studies seriously. He even helps his father in the construction of ur new house,” happily concludes Virak’s mother, Sophat Sin, 42.
Virak’s house is really old and small. When one walks through it, the entire shack shakes and rattles. The stench coming from the dirty water below has overpowering smell, and one would never find anything dropped on the pond.
Virak looks like a wise boy as he sat near his mother saying,” Our new house will be finished soon. My father is building it himself.”
“Actually, my father is always drunk and I am so scared to even look at him because I am scared he will hit me. He always has been cruel to me and my siblings, throwing us to the wall when he is angry for reasons we cannot understand,” sadly says Virak, 16, who is the third son among four siblings.
“If he is not drunk but in a bad mood, he still hits me, my siblings and my mother. He just gets violent to his family to release his anger,” adds Virak.
Thus, there was no peace in Virak’s family. Wanting to get away, Virak joined gang and did not attend school. His time was spent having fun, gambling, drinking alcohol, motor racing and picking fights with village teenagers.
“I spent all my school hours with my gang mates. I don’t want to return home because my parents would get angry and scold me and my father will punish me,” shares Virak.
“I thought before that gambling, motor racing and stirring up quarrel with others are much more exciting than going to school and doing house work,” recounts Virak looking at the ground and visibly embarrassed.
Things gradually changed when Virak and his parents attended World Vision training about the ill effects of violence and how they can help reduce or stop the vicious cycle.
Virak got interested and participated in other trainings in the communities. This prompted Virak and his parents to help one another improve their lives.
Now, Virak is back in school. He began to love learning instead of having senseless fun with gangs and is determined to live a better life with his family.
“I changed myself when I saw my father getting a job as a driver and stopped being violent to us after he attended the World Vision trainings,” smiles Virak.
Virak stopped going out with bad company. He says, “I have even tried convincing my friends to stop their bad habits and go back to school. I tell them that doing those bad things will get us nowhere but towards an empty future.”
“From then on, I study well to learn. I like Khmer literature among other subjects in my class. I always spend my free time drawing pictures; I like drawing animals and rice fields because I would feel good and refreshed. I want to be a doctor someday because I could help the poor and I would also earn lot of money,” says Virak.
There is peace in Virak’s family now, and the new house will be built in the next one month more. His parents always use good words to each other and to all children. Everyday Virak goes school and returns home on time to help his mother with the housework. Virak gets a good grade in class.
“I thank World Vision for providing me with school supplies that make learning easier. I am so happy being a sponsored child,” he says.
“Virak is a good boy now. It is unbelievable that he has changed. He helps me with the housework, and takes his studies seriously. He even helps his father in the construction of ur new house,” happily concludes Virak’s mother, Sophat Sin, 42.
-Ends-
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