Yi Srey Tou
Date of birth: December 5, 1991 My name is Yi Srey Tou and I was born on December 5, 1991 in Baray Village, Ta Phou Commune, Svay Chek District, Banteay Meanchey Province. My father (51) is Choeur Teng, a laborer who lives and works in Thailand. My mother (51) is Pheav Hor and she works as a farmer. We live in Kompong Svay Village, Kompong Svay Commune, Serey Sophoan Town, Banteay Meanchey Province. I have three brothers and one sister and I am third oldest of the children. I have been in the GATE scholarship program since 2004. Before getting the scholarship, life for my family was very difficult, as we had very little money to support the family or to pay for my study materials, school uniform, and transportation. My parents therefore tried to make me drop out of school in primary school. Instead, however, my two elder brothers decided to drop out to work with my father in Thailand to pay off debts we incurred when my mother was sick. Luckily, one day I read an announcement posted by the Cambodian Women’s Crisis Center (CWCC) on a bulletin board soliciting poor students to apply for scholarships. I was extremely happy and asked for an application form from the principal of Ta Phou Primary School. Not long after applying, a teacher who is one of the Local Education Working Group (LEWG) members went to interview my mother and me at home. Four weeks after the interview, I saw the final selections posted on the school bulletin board. I was indescribably happy that I was selected and couldn’t believe my luck! After getting the scholarship, the family budget was relieved from having to cover a lot of my schooling expenses as everything is provided by the program. My scholarship covers such items as my school uniform, shoes, hat, raincoat, study materials, bicycle, bike maintenance, monthly stipend, healthcare, tuition money, food and transportation to/from exam facilities. In 2011, I successfully graduated from high school. While I was still in high school I had applied for a scholarship to the Royal University of Phnom Penh, majoring in Media. I sat for an exam after high school to do teacher training in Battambang. Unfortunately, I was not accepted for either program. I really wanted to continue to university however, so I begged my parents to pay for me to study at the University of Management and Economics in Banteay Meanchey Province. In order to pay for my school fee, my mother took out a loan of 6,000 baht ($200) to pay for the first semester. After enrollment, I was so worried that I couldn’t afford to stay in school throughout the four years because staying far from home I need to spend a lot (accommodation, foods, documents, utilities, English study, and other short courses) and my family could not afford it. Luckily, I learned later on that Lotus Outreach will continue to support me at university. I am overjoyed and very grateful for the enormous support I have received from primary school through my university years. I don’t know how to pay back this generosity in any way other than studying hard in order to get a good job to support my family and help develop my society for the future. Finally, I would like to wish Lotus Outreach and their donors the four blessings of Buddha: longevity, prosperity, health and happiness forever. |
.jpeg){kind=small}