Tith Kimsuor
Date of birth: April 1, 1990 My name is Tith Kimsuor and I was born on April 1, 1990 at Sok San Camp. My father Tith Tha (61) and my mother Suong Kimsun (55) are both farmers. I have 7 siblings (4 boys and 3 girls) and I am the oldest child. My 5 other siblings are all in school in grades 10, 8, 5, 4, and 1 respectively. My youngest sister is only 5 years old, so she is not in school yet. My family members are all living in Ji Pang Village, Phlov Meas Commune, Ratanak Mondol District, Battambang Province; however, I am renting a room in Battambang Town in order to be able to study at university. I first received a scholarship from GATE with funding support from Lotus Outreach in 2008. Before receiving the scholarship I was staying with my uncle in Poi Pet because my family was too poor to support me and my home was very far from a schoolhouse. I faced a lot of difficulties staying with my uncle. I didn’t have money to buy study materials, school uniforms, or pay for tuition classes, and my family could not afford to help. I also still had to walk a long ways to get to school, and it was not safe. I decided to start working to be able to pay for some of my school expenses, but then I was too busy working to even go to school. I felt hopeless, and certain that my education would end in the 9th grade. One day while crossing the border into Thailand to find work, I met Lotus Outreach’s SMART counter-trafficking advocacy staff. They told me about the GATE scholarship program, and I asked them to register my name so I could apply. A few days later, they came to my house to interview me and one month later I was selected as a Lotus Outreach scholarship recipient. It was the happiest moment of my life. Being in the scholarship program, I grew to understand Cambodian society much better and gained a lot of benefits from living in a group residential home. I and the other girls shared in solidarity, understanding and courage. The GATE program also provided mental support, motivation, study materials, monthly stipends, and a bicycle so I could commute to school. After graduating from high school, I knew clearly that my family couldn’t afford to pay for my university fees, so I applied for scholarships to three universities: Meanchey University in Banteay Meanchey Province, Mekong University in Phnom Penh, and University of Management and Economics in Battambang Province. On August 20, 2011 I was granted a 75% tuition scholarship at Mekong University and a 50% tuition scholarship at University of Management and Economics for a bachelor’s degree. Since my family couldn’t afford to send me to study in Phnom Penh at Mekong University, I decided to enroll at University of Management and Economics in Battambang Province to get an Accounting Degree. My parents took a loan to pay for the 50% school fee and Lotus Outreach continues to cover my living expenses. At this point, I would like to thank the donors so much for their continuous support that enables me and other girls to be able to stay in school this far in order for us to have a good job in the future as well as to have a better understanding of the world. I am very delighted and grateful. I would like to wish all the donors happiness, health, and success in their work. |
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