Vichheka Sok

This article was written while I was working for World Vision Cambodia.

Title: Mao, “I sell flower to get money for my schooling”

It takes around 30 minutes riding a motorbike from Battambang town along a small unpaved broken railway to get to Mao’s home. Along the way, bushes surround the path and further beyond the bushes there are slums that smell bad. In the slums, there are many wooden houses, some houses with zinc and some with thatched roofs. There is a very small cottage located behind the others houses. This is Mao’s luxury home where he lives with grandmother and his older sister.

Mao is 11 years old. Mao’s parents left to go to Thailand years ago. Mao and his older sister live with their grandmother in the cottage that belongs to their neighbors. They don’t have their own house.

Mao says, “Our neighbors love and pity us. They are good to us, they don’t take any money for the renting the house we stay in.”

He adds, “I don’t remember my parents’ face since I was too young to remember them when they left me. I miss them.”

“My grandmother told me that when I was three years old, my mother visited us, but I didn’t follow her because I didn’t recognize her. I was crying when my mother tried to hold and hug me.”

Due to the family’s living condition, Mao was forced to sell jasmine flowers along the streets and at the markets in the day and night. Mao and his older sister couldn’t go to school regularly. “If I didn’t sell flowers, I didn’t have money to buy food. I wanted to study daily, but I had no time because I sold flowers all days and at night too,” Mao says.

Sometimes there were no flowers to sell, so Mao and his older sister went to pick morning glory at the big pond, which is located near the village. He recalls, “The big pond is located far from the village around 2 km away. My older sister and I were so scared of that big pond even though we know how to swim, but sometimes we thought there would be something that would come and catches our legs and drag us down. It’s a quiet pond and rarely villagers go there.”

“There were many children who also sell flowers where I sell them. They sometimes stared at me and seemed like they wanted to fight me when customers called me to buy my flower. But those children never fought me; they seemed not to really like me since we had to compete to  sell all the flowers. I used to remain with many flowers (small garlands of jasmine flowers) and if they’re damaged we keep those longer for another night. Sometimes, the quality of flower was not good so nobody wanted to buy them. Whenever we sold flowers, I was afraid I could not sell them all,” Mao says while his older sister sits close to him.

In 2010, a World Vision outreach team from the Social Mobilization against Child Labour Project (SMCLP) visited Mao’s family. Many questions were raised with Mao’s grandmother and this caused her to think more deeply about her grandchildren’s future. She decided to allow them to join the SMCLP. Mao and his older sister were so happy to go. Mao’s older sister, Chakya, 13, really enjoyed studying at the centre. She then returned to public school with the strong encouragement of World Vision staff.

“My sister went to the centre first. She told me lots about the many good things at the centre as well as World Vision staff. Later on, I also went to study at the centre. I loved that place so much. I liked the food the most. Good food to eat. And good people to talk with me. They were good because they used nice words with me to advise me to study hard for a bright future,” Mao shares.

“World Vision staff advised me to study hard and to be an outstanding student, so I will receive an award from them. I am studying so hard now and I will not give up my studying.”

Mao adds that, “I like playing at the playground at the centre. I like playing with the many children there.

With shyness, Mao says, “I want to be a good physician because I hope to help take good care of my grandmother. I want her to live long with me and my older sister. My grandmother is old and I want her to be healthy.”

“I remember once at night time my grandmother got seriously sick, it was so hard for her to breathe out. My older sister and I were crying and we were so worried about her. I don’t want to lose her. We called for help from our neighbours. They helped us and saved my grandmother. I love my neighbours, without them my grandmother won’t be sitting here with us. I commit to be a physician.”

Mao grins, “My older sister and I now have a good schedule for studying and selling flowers. And my grandmother now has a small grocery store. All money we earn, we divided into three parts, for food, for schooling, and for grandmother to save.”

Mao’s grandmother also attended parenting skill conducted by SMCLP staff. She now understands some of the ways to encourage her grandchildren to have a good life and how important education is for them.

The grandmother sits near Mao and her hands weave a jasmine flower wreath, she says, “I have so much pity for my grandchildren. I don’t want them to sell flowers, but I have no choice since I am old now. I hope they will have a good future as the wish. I am happy to see my grandchildren like studying. I keep praying for good things to happen to my grandchildren. And I hope one day their parents will return to them and take care of them.”

With his head bent and looking at the jasmine flowers, Mao says, “In order to have money to support my studying, selling flowers is the only way for me and my older sister to make money.”

Mao’s older sister, Chakya says, “We don’t go to work in the brick factory because selling flowers is easier and earns the same amount as working in the brick factory. And it’s dangerous to work in the brick factory because I used to hear about clay grind-machine that is dangerous.”

Mao smiles, “Thanks to the World Vision staff who came and visited my family often and always follow up about my studying. I will keep studying hard to get an award from the World Vision’s SMCLP.”

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