Standing Up With a Smile
written by Vichheka Sok
Sokha is ten-year-old and she is a
single daughter from a poor family. Her father died from AIDS since she was
three years old. Her father passed HIV to her mother, Bopha, a thirty-five
year-old farmer. Sokha has suffered disdain for years from other children in
the village, her schoolmates as well as her neighbors. “My mother lives with
HIV and everyone hates me and I didn’t have any friends to play with because
they were scared of HIV and AIDS. My mother lives with HIV, I love her so
much,” cried Sokha while her mother is crying too.
Sokha cannot stop her tears while telling her story. She continued with loud sobs, “I remember that my mother was really skinny with itchiness covered all her body as well as her head. She looked dirty, I really pity her and I love her so much. I always pray for her to get better soon. She couldn’t move her body, and she seemed to have no energy. She couldn’t go to the toilet herself, my grandmother and I always had to help her to move to anywhere; and everyday I cleaned her body with a wet towel because she couldn’t take a bath by herself.”
Sokha always walked to school and her school is far from home. She walked alone without any friend to walk with and or talk to. Sokha cried and shared, “I was really depressed and angry with other children who said to me, ‘your mother lives with HIV and AIDS.’ I didn’t want to go to school and I really wanted to fight those used those words of contempt to call to me. Yet, I could only cry and deeply pity my mother.”
In 2008, Sokha went to get a blood test to make sure that her mother didn’t transmit HIV to her. Luckily, Sokha tested negative for the HIV. She is safe; this makes her mother really happy as her mother has hopes for Sokha’s long future.
In 2009, Sokha became a sponsored child of World Vision’s programme. Her mother became part of World Vision’s program to help those living with HIV. She receives support through being able to access regular anti-retroviral drugs as well as coaching for living a healthy life. Sokha shared, “Since my family has become involved in World Vision, and everyone in the community is more educated about HIV and AIDS through World Vision’s work, life has improved. Everyone seems to gradually change became more friendly to my family. World Vision staff always conduct home visits and keep providing good advise to my mother. They also encouraged me to study hard for a bright future.”
World Vision’s programme has supported Sokha’s mother to get anti-retroviral treatment, as well as including her in other trainings that would help the family to have more economics opportunities. Sokha’s mother attended agriculture training such as raising chicken. She also participated in the hygiene and health training. Sokha always helps her mother to do housework, and she is really keen to learn.
With bright eyes, Sokha said, “My mother plant vegetable and raise chicken at home after she attended the trainings. Before, there nobody would buy the vegetables that my mother planted because they were afraid of getting the sickness from her. Now I have lots of friends and my mother has good relationships with all the neighbors. My mother looks healthy and stronger, and I always remind her to take anti-retroviral treatment regularly on time everyday.”
On the brink of tears, Sokha described, “I don’t want to think of our life in the past because it’s such a nightmare for me. We didn’t have good food to eat, mostly we ate potatoes, and tapioca root which my grandmother and I searched in the bush nearby the village. I don’t know my father’s face. I had diarrhea very often because I drank only unboiled-water from the pond and well. I only know and have my mother and my grandmother. Now I have World Vision staff who love and care about my family. I dream to be a teacher, and I will educate everyone in the community to stop hating HIV and AIDs patients. Like my mother, she never hurt others even if she lives with HIV.”
Sokha always spends her time with her mother and read folktale stories for her mother because her mother doesn’t know how to read and write. “I always get school supplies from World Vision, this really encourages me to study hard for my future. I believe that my mother will stay healthy always so that she can be with me until I grow up.”
Sokha cannot stop her tears while telling her story. She continued with loud sobs, “I remember that my mother was really skinny with itchiness covered all her body as well as her head. She looked dirty, I really pity her and I love her so much. I always pray for her to get better soon. She couldn’t move her body, and she seemed to have no energy. She couldn’t go to the toilet herself, my grandmother and I always had to help her to move to anywhere; and everyday I cleaned her body with a wet towel because she couldn’t take a bath by herself.”
Sokha always walked to school and her school is far from home. She walked alone without any friend to walk with and or talk to. Sokha cried and shared, “I was really depressed and angry with other children who said to me, ‘your mother lives with HIV and AIDS.’ I didn’t want to go to school and I really wanted to fight those used those words of contempt to call to me. Yet, I could only cry and deeply pity my mother.”
In 2008, Sokha went to get a blood test to make sure that her mother didn’t transmit HIV to her. Luckily, Sokha tested negative for the HIV. She is safe; this makes her mother really happy as her mother has hopes for Sokha’s long future.
In 2009, Sokha became a sponsored child of World Vision’s programme. Her mother became part of World Vision’s program to help those living with HIV. She receives support through being able to access regular anti-retroviral drugs as well as coaching for living a healthy life. Sokha shared, “Since my family has become involved in World Vision, and everyone in the community is more educated about HIV and AIDS through World Vision’s work, life has improved. Everyone seems to gradually change became more friendly to my family. World Vision staff always conduct home visits and keep providing good advise to my mother. They also encouraged me to study hard for a bright future.”
World Vision’s programme has supported Sokha’s mother to get anti-retroviral treatment, as well as including her in other trainings that would help the family to have more economics opportunities. Sokha’s mother attended agriculture training such as raising chicken. She also participated in the hygiene and health training. Sokha always helps her mother to do housework, and she is really keen to learn.
With bright eyes, Sokha said, “My mother plant vegetable and raise chicken at home after she attended the trainings. Before, there nobody would buy the vegetables that my mother planted because they were afraid of getting the sickness from her. Now I have lots of friends and my mother has good relationships with all the neighbors. My mother looks healthy and stronger, and I always remind her to take anti-retroviral treatment regularly on time everyday.”
On the brink of tears, Sokha described, “I don’t want to think of our life in the past because it’s such a nightmare for me. We didn’t have good food to eat, mostly we ate potatoes, and tapioca root which my grandmother and I searched in the bush nearby the village. I don’t know my father’s face. I had diarrhea very often because I drank only unboiled-water from the pond and well. I only know and have my mother and my grandmother. Now I have World Vision staff who love and care about my family. I dream to be a teacher, and I will educate everyone in the community to stop hating HIV and AIDs patients. Like my mother, she never hurt others even if she lives with HIV.”
Sokha always spends her time with her mother and read folktale stories for her mother because her mother doesn’t know how to read and write. “I always get school supplies from World Vision, this really encourages me to study hard for my future. I believe that my mother will stay healthy always so that she can be with me until I grow up.”
-Ends-
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