Tith Channy

University: Royal University of Phnom Penh
Major: Sociology

In Her Own Words

My name is Tith Channy and I am 23 years old. I have four siblings, three of which are girls, and of the girls I am the youngest. We live in Chek Village, Pongro Leu Commune, Jikreng District, Siem Reap Province. My mother’s name is Pen Kum. She is 60 and works as a farmer. One of my elder sisters is married but she is unemployed.  Her husband is a heavy drinker and everyday and when he gets home, he beats my sister. Needless to say, we are very poor.

When I was in 7th grade in 2006, my family’s situation was very challenging as our rice crop didn’t give a good yield. We were short of rice for six months. My mother had to work on other people’s farms as a laborer to earn extra money to support the family and my education. Even though I had to help my mother planting bananas and vegetables to sell, my school performance was still good.  Eventually I was selected into the GATE scholarship program by the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center (CWCC). My family and I were extremely delighted because without that scholarship, my family could not afford my study materials, pocket money, and especially my bicycle. Being in the program I also had accommodations (rented by CWCC) to stay near school because my house is far away.

When I was in 11th grade, I missed school for two months. I decided to drop out to look for work in Siem Reap with my neighbors because when I visited home one weekend, my brother- in-law was drunk and beat my sister very badly. Her head was bleeding and she required stitches from the local health center. My mother was very worried and sad that that my sister was injured.

The local education working group then reported my case to CWCC’s program staff, as they were concerned specifically about my two-month absence. The program officer and staff members went to see my mother many times. My mother told them about what had happened and that she didn’t know where I was now. She only heard from a neighbor that I was working in a fish sauce factory behind the Smiling Hotel. The program staff consulted with my mother to see if she wanted me to drop out or come back to school, and that they could get me back to school if my mother agreed. My mother told them that she wanted me to come back to school, so the program staff went to look for the factory and tried to meet with the owner, but were unsuccessful. The staff visited the factory where I worked many times. One day the staff met with a young woman working as a cook in the factory. She was the one who brought me to work with her in the first place.  She reported to the staff that I was not working there in the factory, but had been sent by the owner to Banteay Meanchey for work selling groceries. The CWCC staff managed to get my phone number and went to bring me back and asked the school principal to allow me to come back to school, which he did.

Now I have finished the 12th grade successfully and also passed the entrance exams at The Royal University of Phnom Penh, where I will pursue a bachelor’s degree in sociology. It is a 4-year degree with another year at pedagogy school.

Having gone through all these experiences and hardships, I owe my gratitude to Lotus Outreach and the donors for their tremendous support from the 7th grade until university. I deeply appreciate this caring gesture. I wish you success in everything you do, as well as health, happiness and prosperity.