This article was written while I was working for World Vision Cambodia.
Sok Lym gets his
childhood back
Fifteen-year-old, Sok Lym
Pheng is the oldest son of five siblings. He lives with his mother, Saron Phay
who is forty-two years old and his father, 37, who has paralyzed legs. To
travel anywhere, Sok Lym’s father has to push use the wheelchair. Sok Lym
worked very hard to earn income to support the family needs. He didn’t have
time to even sleep and play with other children in the village.
Because of his father’s condition and Sok Lym is the oldest son, he must work hard for the family. Sok Lym is sitting close to his father, and sadly shared, “I don’t have time to rest. I missed my time to play like other children. Yet I must make money for the family to put food on the table and fill our hunger. In the rainy season, I went to the rice field in the evening and at night I go with my father to trap the frogs to sell and trade them for rice. I spent many hours to trap frogs, so sometimes I returned home at 2 A.M.” He added with her eyes looking at his parents, “I was really exhausted, and I wanted to cry because I felt real pity for myself. In the daytime, I went to chop down the wood in the forest nearby the village for charcoal kiln. I could earn so little for my parents. I couldn’t go to school regularly and my health also was not well because I was not sleeping and I do not get enough to eat.”
Sok Lym’s father has paralyzed legs, and he needs help to get into his wheelchair. His father felled down from the palm tree and he also had malaria. So in getting the injection to cure malaria his father was left with paralyzed legs. Nobody knows what happened with the injection to make him paralyze. The family was shocked when they discovered that both of his legs became paralyzed after the injection for malaria treatment. Sok Lym said, “My father has paralyzed legs, but he has good ideas to advise me always in terms of searching for food.”
Sok Lym never complained with all hard work because there was no other option. Being the oldest son carries with it some responsibilities. He plays an important role in helping his parents to earn income. Sok Lym sobbed, “My father cannot work because he has paralyzed legs, and he can only give me advice such trapping frog in the rice fields. I really pity my father, and I want my family to live in good condition with good food to eat. I didn’t think studying and playing are important while my family needs food to eat. I missed school for many months because I was really tired with chopping wood in the forest and trapping frogs, I had no energy to walk and enjoy class.”
Around 2005, World Vision staff reached Sok Lym’s family and Sok Lym became a sponsored child of World Vision. World Vision staffs often visit Sok Lym’s home and encouraged him about the importance of education. With emotional and physical support from a caring World Vision staff, the family began to experience change. Sok Lym and his mother shared, “World Vision staff always visit my family and talk with us on how to improve living conditions and explain lots about the value of education for children. We are happy that we are valued and are appreciated by World Vision. We thought we were very poor so others in the village do not really like to talk and share with us.”
Sok Lym recounted, “All my family members stayed in the forest in the tent, so we all could chop down tree and get back money from charcoal kiln owner. Once I had malaria, and we all drank unclean water. It was really dirty the place where we slept. My health was really bad, and I often had diarrhea. While I had malaria, my mother just light joss sticks and prayed to the Buddha to help me to get better.”
He smiled, “With World Vision, my family and I have received many assistance and good advice. I am able to go to school and have time to play with other children. We now moved to live in the village and my parents raise chicken, pigs, and planting vegetables to earn income instead of chopping down trees and living in the forest like before.”
Looking at her son’s face, Sok Lym’s mother sobbed, “My son is good, he works to help the whole family and he never complains. I am very happy now to see and hear he is able to read books. Once, I wanted my son to give up school, but now I understand the importance of education. I thank World Vision staff who always advised and give us direction to walk toward a better life.”
Sok Lym goes to school now and he usually teaches his younger brothers and sister how to read and write. He grinned, “Before I never had a dream, but now I have a dream to be a good NGO staff to make change in the community and help the poor because I experienced how hard life can be.”
“Sok Lym’s family changed for the better. I have worked very close with this family for more than two years. Sok Lym and his three siblings are now able to go to school, and stopped doing adult’s work. I am happy to see such a great change,” smiled Mr. Manith Sous, Transformational Development Facilitator of Samaki Meanchey Area Development Programme.
Because of his father’s condition and Sok Lym is the oldest son, he must work hard for the family. Sok Lym is sitting close to his father, and sadly shared, “I don’t have time to rest. I missed my time to play like other children. Yet I must make money for the family to put food on the table and fill our hunger. In the rainy season, I went to the rice field in the evening and at night I go with my father to trap the frogs to sell and trade them for rice. I spent many hours to trap frogs, so sometimes I returned home at 2 A.M.” He added with her eyes looking at his parents, “I was really exhausted, and I wanted to cry because I felt real pity for myself. In the daytime, I went to chop down the wood in the forest nearby the village for charcoal kiln. I could earn so little for my parents. I couldn’t go to school regularly and my health also was not well because I was not sleeping and I do not get enough to eat.”
Sok Lym’s father has paralyzed legs, and he needs help to get into his wheelchair. His father felled down from the palm tree and he also had malaria. So in getting the injection to cure malaria his father was left with paralyzed legs. Nobody knows what happened with the injection to make him paralyze. The family was shocked when they discovered that both of his legs became paralyzed after the injection for malaria treatment. Sok Lym said, “My father has paralyzed legs, but he has good ideas to advise me always in terms of searching for food.”
Sok Lym never complained with all hard work because there was no other option. Being the oldest son carries with it some responsibilities. He plays an important role in helping his parents to earn income. Sok Lym sobbed, “My father cannot work because he has paralyzed legs, and he can only give me advice such trapping frog in the rice fields. I really pity my father, and I want my family to live in good condition with good food to eat. I didn’t think studying and playing are important while my family needs food to eat. I missed school for many months because I was really tired with chopping wood in the forest and trapping frogs, I had no energy to walk and enjoy class.”
Around 2005, World Vision staff reached Sok Lym’s family and Sok Lym became a sponsored child of World Vision. World Vision staffs often visit Sok Lym’s home and encouraged him about the importance of education. With emotional and physical support from a caring World Vision staff, the family began to experience change. Sok Lym and his mother shared, “World Vision staff always visit my family and talk with us on how to improve living conditions and explain lots about the value of education for children. We are happy that we are valued and are appreciated by World Vision. We thought we were very poor so others in the village do not really like to talk and share with us.”
Sok Lym recounted, “All my family members stayed in the forest in the tent, so we all could chop down tree and get back money from charcoal kiln owner. Once I had malaria, and we all drank unclean water. It was really dirty the place where we slept. My health was really bad, and I often had diarrhea. While I had malaria, my mother just light joss sticks and prayed to the Buddha to help me to get better.”
He smiled, “With World Vision, my family and I have received many assistance and good advice. I am able to go to school and have time to play with other children. We now moved to live in the village and my parents raise chicken, pigs, and planting vegetables to earn income instead of chopping down trees and living in the forest like before.”
Looking at her son’s face, Sok Lym’s mother sobbed, “My son is good, he works to help the whole family and he never complains. I am very happy now to see and hear he is able to read books. Once, I wanted my son to give up school, but now I understand the importance of education. I thank World Vision staff who always advised and give us direction to walk toward a better life.”
Sok Lym goes to school now and he usually teaches his younger brothers and sister how to read and write. He grinned, “Before I never had a dream, but now I have a dream to be a good NGO staff to make change in the community and help the poor because I experienced how hard life can be.”
“Sok Lym’s family changed for the better. I have worked very close with this family for more than two years. Sok Lym and his three siblings are now able to go to school, and stopped doing adult’s work. I am happy to see such a great change,” smiled Mr. Manith Sous, Transformational Development Facilitator of Samaki Meanchey Area Development Programme.
-Ends-
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