Date of birth: June 3, 1989 Place of birth: Phkoim Village, Seung Commune, Ochrov District, Meanchey Province Current address: Phkoim Village, Seung Commune, Ochrov District, Meanchey Province Father’s name: Nheum Mao, 47 years old, Occupation: Farmer Mother’s name: Thoo Noeung, 46 years old, Occupation: Farmer Siblings: 3 (the third child) University: Cambodia University of Specialties (4 years) Major: Accounting
In Her Own Words
My family is so very poor that my parents had to borrow money from our neighbors to keep me in school until finishing the primary level. However, they couldn’t afford to send me to lower secondary school because of the big debt they had taken to keep me in primary school and the farming that year did not get a good yield, so they discussed taking me out after primary school.
As a child, I could do nothing seeing the desperate situation of my family, so I started to do labor even though I was still small. I worked in other people’s field harvesting rice, weeding farms, growing rubber trees, and harvesting cassava to earn some money to contribute to supporting the family and to save for my education in lower secondary school. Even though I could earn very little, I kept doing it to support my education until finishing 8th grade. However, I had to miss school a lot then.
In 2007 when I was in 9th grade at Chhouk Lower Secondary School, I heard about scholarship program (GATE) from teachers who are in the Local Education Working Group (LEWG) at that school, so I applied for it. I was shortlisted and interviewed by the LEWG and then they also went to interview my parents. Finally I was told that I was qualified for the scholarship! I was so excited and very happy with this good news.
After finishing lower secondary school, I went on to Koub Upper Secondary School and the GATE program still continued supporting my education. The program rented a house for me and other students who lived far from school and provided us with a monthly stipend for daily expenses at the residential home. I studied very hard until I could successfully pass the High School National Board Exam in August 2010. Without the scholarship from the program, I would not come this far. Thanks to the program that I didn’t have to drop out!
After high school, I was very worried if I would be able to continue to university as I would have to spend a lot at that level. Fortunately, the program staff told me that Lotus Outreach would continue to help me through the university! Now I can study at university like others too!
I commit to study hard to finish this 4-year course and I hope that one day I can work to help other girls who cannot afford education to have a chance like me.
Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the donors for the support thus far. I wish you all happiness and success in your work.
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