Theav Ratana

University: Royal University of Phnom Penh
Major: Philosophy

In Her Own Words

My name is Theav Ratana. I am 21 years old. I have 5 siblings, and I am the oldest daughter. My family is living in Prek Sromouch Village,  Kompong Khlaing Commune, South Nikum District, Siem Reap Province.

Before getting my scholarship from the program, I couldn’t go to school regularly because of domestic violence in my family. My father beat my mother and me almost everyday. My mother reached the point where she could not stand it anymore, so she decided to go ask for assistance from the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center (CWCC) in Siem Reap town. During the inquiry and legal procedure for the divorce, my younger siblings and I were all staying at CWCC’s safe shelter. We were reintegrated after the case was closed with the verdict giving a divorce to my mother as her wish.

Later on I learned about the CWCC scholarship program, so I contacted the reintegration and scholarship officers, and they came to interview me at home. After that, I was granted the scholarship; I was in 8th grade at Dom Dek Lower Secondary School at that time. After receiving the scholarship, I was very excited and inspired to study hard until finishing high school (12th grade). Now I am a university student majoring in Philosophy at Royal University of Phnom Penh with a 100% scholarship, so I don’t have to pay for school fee. However, I still have to cover other expenses such as food, study materials, documents, and accommodation.

I would not be able to stay in university for the whole 4 years if I didn’t get support through CWCC. I am very grateful to CWCC for ongoing mentoring and for educating me on various issues such as the importance of education, domestic violence, trafficking and how to not fall into tricks of traffickers, etc. Because of all the support, financially and spiritually, I am motivated to study hard and stay in school.

Finally I would like to wish CWCC and the donors the four blessing of Buddha: longevity, prosperity, happiness, and health. Without you, I would not be where I am today! Thank you so much!