A Transformed Kao Ly’s
Family Lives in Harmony
Written By: Vichheka Sok
Written By: Vichheka Sok
A boy with tanned-skin and
a timid face is now sitting on the stairways of a wooden medium house with
bamboo lattices, he smiles, “My name is Kao Ly Touch; I am fourteen years old,
and I am the fifth son of seven siblings. I’ll tell you my story. It’s about
violence and what’s transformed in my family and myself.”
Asking about his family situation in the past, Kao Ly sadly said, “My parents always quarreled and this made me not happy and I didn’t want to stay at home to see such violence everyday. I usually spent my time at my grandmother’s house. I always tried to run a way from hearing all the fighting between my parents.”
He is now sitting close to his mother. “My father never stayed at home. He was always out with his friends and returned home drunk. He used only insulting words to all family members, and my mother did the same.”
“I was a weak student and I had no energy to study hard when I saw my parents always argue and they never paid attention to children’s studying,” shared Kao Ly while looking at his mother’s face. Kao Ly’s mother recounted, “The family’s situation seemed a mess and we also didn’t care about hygiene and lived in good health. We all drank unboiled-water or water from raining, when we stored in a jar without covering. She added, “Once Kao Ly got a stomachache and typhoid, so we needed to spend money to buy medicine to cure his health.”
Kao Ly immediately interrupted his mother, “Before we all went to the rice filed or bush for toilet. I was a stubborn son; I always complained whenever my mother asked me to do anything such as tending cattle, collecting cow-dung, and cutting grass for cow’s food.”
“I go to know and became a sponsored child of World Vision in 2002. I recognized the orange color of World Vision; and World Vision staff always came to visit and encourage me as my parents to pay more attention on health care and sanitation,” smiled Kao Ly.
Kao Ly mother never ignores invitations from World Vision staff to participate in trainings or meetings to share and learn together in terms of health care, advantages and disadvantages of domestic violence, the importance of education, HIV and AIDS, child rights, and living in a clean environment. Kao Ly grinned, “World Vision supported my family to build a toilet and we stopped going to the rice field or bush as a toilet. It’s really helpful and I am the one who ensures that there is water in the toilet.”
He continued, “My mother always gives me 300 riels (0.075 USD) to go to school to buy a snack during the school break. She advises me to buy food with good covering and that is clean without flys around. She really cares about hygiene.”
Everyday, Kao Ly helps his parents to do house chores with no complaint. He waters all vegetables in the garden and sweeps the house’s area. He is now trying so hard; he timidly shared, “I have a dream to be a good Khmer literature teacher and it’s my favorite to teach other children. I usually teach my younger brother at home every night before going to bed.”
There is no more domestic violence or any insulting words in Kao Ly’s family. He said, “I am happy to see my parents have stopped quarreling and they use only good words to each other and all the children. My parents really push me to study hard, so I would have a good job and help to reduce the family’s burden when I grown up.” Added with smiling face, “My mother always shares my father and children what she has learned from the meetings/trainings of World Vision. And I do the same.”
Kao Ly’s mother concluded, “I am happy to have a good son; he always follows all parents’ advise, and I see he studies hard now. I thank World Vision staff that always visit and teach my son such drawing, hygiene, child rights and encourages him to study hard. My son also gets school materials regularly from World Vision’s programme.”
Asking about his family situation in the past, Kao Ly sadly said, “My parents always quarreled and this made me not happy and I didn’t want to stay at home to see such violence everyday. I usually spent my time at my grandmother’s house. I always tried to run a way from hearing all the fighting between my parents.”
He is now sitting close to his mother. “My father never stayed at home. He was always out with his friends and returned home drunk. He used only insulting words to all family members, and my mother did the same.”
“I was a weak student and I had no energy to study hard when I saw my parents always argue and they never paid attention to children’s studying,” shared Kao Ly while looking at his mother’s face. Kao Ly’s mother recounted, “The family’s situation seemed a mess and we also didn’t care about hygiene and lived in good health. We all drank unboiled-water or water from raining, when we stored in a jar without covering. She added, “Once Kao Ly got a stomachache and typhoid, so we needed to spend money to buy medicine to cure his health.”
Kao Ly immediately interrupted his mother, “Before we all went to the rice filed or bush for toilet. I was a stubborn son; I always complained whenever my mother asked me to do anything such as tending cattle, collecting cow-dung, and cutting grass for cow’s food.”
“I go to know and became a sponsored child of World Vision in 2002. I recognized the orange color of World Vision; and World Vision staff always came to visit and encourage me as my parents to pay more attention on health care and sanitation,” smiled Kao Ly.
Kao Ly mother never ignores invitations from World Vision staff to participate in trainings or meetings to share and learn together in terms of health care, advantages and disadvantages of domestic violence, the importance of education, HIV and AIDS, child rights, and living in a clean environment. Kao Ly grinned, “World Vision supported my family to build a toilet and we stopped going to the rice field or bush as a toilet. It’s really helpful and I am the one who ensures that there is water in the toilet.”
He continued, “My mother always gives me 300 riels (0.075 USD) to go to school to buy a snack during the school break. She advises me to buy food with good covering and that is clean without flys around. She really cares about hygiene.”
Everyday, Kao Ly helps his parents to do house chores with no complaint. He waters all vegetables in the garden and sweeps the house’s area. He is now trying so hard; he timidly shared, “I have a dream to be a good Khmer literature teacher and it’s my favorite to teach other children. I usually teach my younger brother at home every night before going to bed.”
There is no more domestic violence or any insulting words in Kao Ly’s family. He said, “I am happy to see my parents have stopped quarreling and they use only good words to each other and all the children. My parents really push me to study hard, so I would have a good job and help to reduce the family’s burden when I grown up.” Added with smiling face, “My mother always shares my father and children what she has learned from the meetings/trainings of World Vision. And I do the same.”
Kao Ly’s mother concluded, “I am happy to have a good son; he always follows all parents’ advise, and I see he studies hard now. I thank World Vision staff that always visit and teach my son such drawing, hygiene, child rights and encourages him to study hard. My son also gets school materials regularly from World Vision’s programme.”
-Ends-
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