Families Available To Sponsor In Arai Village
Below you will find a handful of profiles introducing you to some of the families we are currently working with. We are currently constructing a new school for the children in the village of Arai, and through working at the current school and building the new one we have come to know the children. Not only their names, but their needs, their homes, and their struggles. If anyone is interested in supporting these truly exceptional children you can do so by clicking on the donate now button and selecting the family you would like to support on the following page.
Thank you,
Dustin Javorsky
Executive Director, Global Student Outreach
The Chaom Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Em is a thirteen year old boy who lives with his parents and younger brother in the family home on land given to a foreign company as an economic concession for development. His father and mother work for the company and in turn are granted a very small piece of land, and access to water for drinking from the company supply Em is currently in our second grade class and makes the one hour trip daily to Arai village to attend classes.
Em's home is little more than a basic shelter to keep the rain off of the family and their belongings. His mother operates a small shop out of the home in an attempt to raise some money to support the family when she is not working for the company. Only a few days ago we walked with Em back to his home where we found he was alone for the remainder of the day, without anything to eat and skipping both lunch and dinner until his parents returned from work well into the evening.
Em's father has dug a small trench to try to capture rain water to use in a small garden around the home to try and grow basic vegetables for cooking meals. We are looking to find a donor to support 1 bag of rice, or 50kg per month for the family.
The Chow Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Dina is a fourteen year old boy who lives with his twelve year old sister Srey Nich, and six year old sister Dooneye. Their father lives in Thailand where he works to support the family which means Dina is the man of the house and things have been that way for about as long as anyone can remember.
Dina's father returns every year during Khmer New Year and rarely takes brakes from his work in Thailand to visit the family. The family have a small thatched roof home near the school in Arai. For many Cambodians their homes are not important, they serve as little more than shelter from the rain or oppressive heat.
What is much more important is having enough to eat. The Chow family are looking for someone to sponsor them and support them with a bag of rice each month.
The Pat Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Phiron is an eleven year old boy who lives with his parents in Arai village, his parents are both farmers, however, Phiron's father is unfortunately disabled making it difficult for him to operate farm equipment, and tools. The family owns a small plot of land and they grow different vegetables throughout the year to try and support themselves.
Phiron's older sister recently divorced her husband and has moved back into the family home with her infant pictured. The family has asked us to help them find support, someone who can provide them with 50kg of rice each month, or a bicycle for their son to go to school. Phiron's father lost his arm when a rocket propelled grenade exploded near him in 1984.
The Chupe Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Wool is a fourteen year old boy who lives with his younger brother Jake and his parents in Arai village. Wool's family earn a basic income from the land they farm around the family home. They tend crops such as peanuts, peppers, watermelon and corn depending on the seasons and the rainfall each year. Wool works to take care of the family cows, chickens and other animals.
Both Wool and Jake attend school in Arai, Wool studies in the third grade while younger brother Jake is enrolled in our first grade class. Both boys are studying English with volunteer teachers and have been helping us with moving the materials to the new school site. The family is hoping to find a sponsor to help them obtain one 50kg bag of rice per month as they do not own any ricefields of their own.
The Dum Family
Status: Sponsored by Niek Van Oijen, Holland $50/ Month.
Youn is a very helpful and outgoing thirteen year old boy, he was abandoned with his grandparents when he was a baby and his parents have never returned. His grandparents have no idea where or what his parents are doing and Youn has never met either of them. Youn works to help his grandfather around the family home, he helps to care for the family cows in his free time. Youn is currently enrolled in our third grade class in Arai.
One of the many problems that Youn faces is that his grandparents are the only family he has ever known, and should something happen to them he would be left entirely on his own. Youn is still far too young to care for himself, however he is a very capable young man. The Dum family would like to find a sponsor to help them with deliveries of rice every month if possible.
The En Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
En Nyah, En Bo, and En Chamran are three brothers who live in Arai and attend school on a daily basis at our project site. They live with their mother and father and help their parents to farm the family land. The older boys are currently studying in our third grade program and the youngest son is enrolled in our first grade. The boys spend their mornings in class and afternoons in the family fields where they grow corn, peppers, watermelone and other seasonal produce.
As with many families in the area, the En family does not have their own ricefields, as the village is located at the base of the mountains, finding good farm land to grow rice is a problem. Access to water is extremely limited and creates problems for the En family and others like them. They are also looking for a sponsor who can help provide the family with a bag of rice each month.
The Hon Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Kem-Hong and his younger brother Kem-Hang are currently enrolled in our first grade program in Arai village, they live with relatives in the village throughout most of the year while their parents work illegally as laborers in Thailand.
Kem-Hong is a tough little boy, he is often seen playing by himself or with others his age in the forest around Arai, he is not afraid to hunt tarantulas with us and uses bricks like gigantic legos when nobody is looking. They are also looking for someone to support monthly deliveries of rice to the family if possible.
The Hiep Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Sa-Ime is a nine year old girl who lives with her sister and parents in Arai village where they work as farmers. She has no brothers and is currently enrolled in our second grade program. Sa-Ime studies English on a daily basis with foreign and local volunteers and spends the rest of her time helping her parents with their watermelon and peanut farm.
Sa-Ime enjoys learning to play music at school and also has an interest in traditional Cambodian dancing. Her family is also looking for someone to support monthly deliveries of rice to the family if possible.
The Krong Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Heang is the oldest child in his family, he lives with his two siblings, Pah and Cry with their mother and father in Arai village. Heang's father lost his left leg when he stepped on a landmine when he was younger and living in a village about 30km from the current family home. The children are very active in school and all are enrolled in our programs.
Heang often accompanies us on trips around the mountain and in the village visiting other families, he enjoys spending time with foreign volunteers and has shown a genuine interest in trying to improve the family situation. Heang's family also does not have their own ricefield in Arai and are looking for a sponsor to help them with deliveries of rice each month.
The Kude Family
Status: Sponsored by the Preusse family from the US, $35/ Month.
Rattana is a six year old girl who lives with her four year old sister Ratanee in Arai village, both girls are currently enrolled in our first grade program and spend their mornings in classes with our foriegn and local English teachers. The two girls live with their parents full time, however from time to time one or both parents will leave to Thailand to work illegally to try and raise support for the family.
The two girls are very outgoing, and enjoy the activities that volunteers offer while in school. Prior to our involvement in school these girls had never held a colored pencil, crayon or had an opportunity to color or do normal activities for children. They also receive donations of school supplies and clothing when donations are made to the school. We are looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Mon Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Mao is a four year old boy who has a very special set of problems. His parents abandoned him in the village of Arai with his grandmother when he was born. Not long after his grandmother left to find work elsewhere leaving him to grow up with his deaf uncle. Mao is a very quiet boy and does not talk often, he is often teased by the other children about being so quiet, however when he does speak, he often has a lot to say. Recently, Mao was enrolled in our first grade program, he often wanders to school without any clothes on. Mao's grandmother has since returned and is trying to provide for him.
Mao's uncle pictured with him, would often take Mao with him everyday on the family farm land, his uncle has never been married and considers Mao to be like a son to him. However, recently Mao's uncle left the family home and moved to Kampoung Cham to work and Mao and his grandmother are once again alone. We are looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Mole Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Jew and his younger brother Ouk live with their family in Arai village, their father works to plant and sell hardwood on the family land and their mother runs a small shop in front of the family home selling basic food items, both children are enrolled in our first grade program at the school. Jew is only five years old and already his baby teeth have been nearly destroyed from living on snacks procured at his mother's small shop. Breakfast for the children may consist of a handful of candy, or a pack of cookies full of sugar.
Jew's teeth are quite a strange sight in Arai village where most of the chilren have quite clean, white teeth, the reason for this is because they are too poor to afford snacks and their teeth are often much better then their peers in town who have access to an assortment of sweet cheap snacks on a daily basis. We are looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice. To get them back to feeding their children normal food, not cheap junk food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The Newt Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Srey-Man is a seven year old girl who lives with her two brothers, Pannha and Gemoi. All three of the children are currently enrolled in classes at the current Arai village school. Both of their parents live at the family home in Arai village where the work a small plot of land, however, because of the high sand content in the area around Arai, the family is only able to produce a small amount of profit. This year was an exceptionally bad year for the family as late monsoons season rain left their ricefields on the edge of disaster for several weeks resulting in a very low yield.
For many of the families, incluing the Newt family, subsistance farming is a way of life and when mother nature doesn't provide enough rain they often find themselves with just barely enough food to get them through the year. We are looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Churt Family
Pone is a fifteen year old girl (pictured in the pink shirt) who has been living with the aftermath of Polio since she was a little girl, her feet and legs have grown upside down which means every step she takes is on the tops of her feet, not the soles. She lives with her sister and a cousin who was abandoned with the family when she was an infant and is unaware that she is not related to the other two girls. The family lives about an hour away from the school in Arai, however the children make the trip every morning on foot to attend classes from seven in the morning until eleven before walking back home for lunch.
The Churt family have a small piece of land behind their home where they grow peanuts and watermelon, they also have a dozen or so chickens, ducks and other livestock roaming the property. Recently a volunteer from Holland donated a bicycle for Pone to ride to school which has helped her to get around a bit easier. Three of the older family members have left to work in Thailand to support the family, however they simply disappeared and were never heard from again. One returned to Cambodia and is currently in a youth detention center dealing with substance abuse issues. We are looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Ruen Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Lida is a twelve year old girl studying in the third grade at our project school in Arai village, she lives with her two younger brothers and infant sister in the family home located on the opposite side of the mountain from the school. Lida is a very devoted student who enjoys participating in class and other activities organized by foreign volunteers, her younger brothers are currently studying in grades one and two. Lida's mother takes care of the children on her own, while her husband is in Thailand working to support the family. He currently sends back around $50 per month to his wife and children.
We looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Rye Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Lekana is a nine year old girl who lives in Arai village with her six year old brother Mara and her mother in the family home. Both children are enrolled in our first grade program and are currently attending classes full time. Lekanas father works as a farmer in the area surrounding area growing seasonal crops. The family owns a fair amount of land, but not in areas with good soil; which limits the family to growing only certain times of the year or growing crops that are hearty enough to survive the poor soil conditions. Most of the area around Arai is either clay or sand, neither are very helpful to the people in the area.
Lekana and her brother spend their spare time foraging in the forest for food, or tending to the family livestock. We looking to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Sime Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Sin is thirteen and studying in the third grade, he lives with his two siblings; Set and Srey Nee along with his older brother and his wife, and parents in a small thatched home on the outskirts of Arai village. Sin's family live at the foot of the mountains and he travels almost two hours every morning on foot to attend classes, he then makes the long walk back home for lunch, often arriving after everyone else has eaten. Sin is very interested in learning to read and write and will be the first in his family to learn to do so. It is not uncommon for children as old as fifteen or sixteen to be studying in the first grade alongside younger children.
We truly try to reward children who put forth the effort to help improve their own lives, Sin is one of these children. We truly hope to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Thai Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Seenay and his sister Chanoon are both current students enrolled in our first grade, both children were recently living with a friend of the family because of domestic problems within their family. Several months ago after a rather intense argument at the family home their mother decided to burn their home to the ground along with the kitchen with all of their personal belongings inside. Their father was so afraid of his wife that he ran off and didn't come back until just recently, fearing that his wife was still angry. Just recently the family has started to rebuild their home and this photo was taken with the family in front of their new home.
The Thai family is one of the few families that truly have nothing, everything they owned was lost in the fire and the children were provided with new clothing, blankets, and other materials after they were moved to live with someone else. It is truly unfortunate for the children have to deal with a situation that is out of their control, and we will be working to help them get through it as best as possible. We truly hope to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Thieng Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Thyme is a new student in our first grade program, she is fifteen years old, however stands about as tall as most of our ten year old students. Her family is extremely poor, and while they have a large piece of farmland, they do not have the manpower or infrastructure to allow them to make full use of it. Thyme is the oldest of four children, she has two younger sisters and one younger brother. Last year the family home was burned to the ground and the family lost everything, all documentation and valuables were consumed in the fire.
Thyme lives about two and a half hours away from the school and she makes the trip each day with her younger brother, Dootch who is also in the first grade. While visiting the family we were met with a wide array of problems, and immediately organized donations of blankets, mosquito nets and shoes for the children. Thyme's younger sister Thiew was severely ill with a case of Dengue fever and was treated on site and additional medicine was given to the family to continue treatment. During our visit we also witnessed what a normal meal for the family looked like, it was a collection of wild vegetables and dried fish with no rice available to the family. The younger sister Thiew immediately jumped up and ran to her mother looking for something to eat, however the only thing her mother had returned with was two pills and a single piece of candy.
The Thiang Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Leesah is a six year old little girl who is currently enrolled in our first grade program at the Arai village school. She lives with her parents at the family home, she is the youngest in her family of seven. Leesah has four older siblings, two of which work and live in Phnom Penh. The remaining two have never attended formal education and work full time for their father taking care of livestock and family farm land. Leesah is a very eager little student, she is always early to school and the first to raise her hand in class. She is very confident in school, and has already mastered her ABC's, colors and has a basic understanding of English.
It is truly unfortunate for the children have to deal with a situation tha We truly hope to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice.
The Vanna Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Rattana is a six year old little girl who is studying with us in our first grade program, she lives with her three siblings and parents in the family home just outside of Arai village. Her parents and siblings work full time farming peanuts, peppers, watermelon, and corn. Rattana being much too young to work in the fields is lucky enough to be able to attend classes six days a week. Currently Rattana is studying in our bi-lingual program learning Khmer and English at the same time. Exposure to the basics of English language such as recognizing the alphabet and numbers in English are the focus of the first grade program.
If Rattana continues her education until the sixth grade, she will be the first person in her family to complete both primary and seconday school and be the only one in her family who is able to both read and write Khmer. We hope to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice. The act of sponsorship helps relieve pressure on families, allow them to see the benefit of educating their children and requiring them to miss less class to help perform manual labor.
The Yan Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Pat is an eleven year old girl who lives with her aunt and uncle in Arai village, and current she studies in our second grade program. After the divorce of her parents, her mother abandoned her with relatives and went to work in Thailand. Pat has no contact with her mother except once a year when her mother returns from Thailand for holidays, she has not seen her father since her parents separated. Pat's uncle was injured in a landmine explosion and is missing his right leg, this naturally causes problems for him and he is unable to effectively farm the family land to generate income.
Pat's story is unfortunately all too common in Cambodia, while less so in rural areas. It is not uncommon to find an entire village of children living with relatives, children who have been effectively abandoned by their parents. Fathers seek out new wives, and mothers do the same leaving the children with relatives who may or may not have their best interests in mind. We hope to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice. The act of sponsorship helps relieve pressure on families, allow them to see the benefit of educating their children and requiring them to miss less class to help perform manual labor.
The Yat Family
Status: Available To Sponsor
Chaya is a twelve year old boy studying in our second grade program, he lives with his two siblings; Riek-Sah and Tome who both study in first grade. The children live at their grandmother's home and were abandoned by their mother after the divorce of their parents. Because their family had no land or home of their own the only option was to move in with relatives pictured, a cousin with her infant and husband, aunt and both grandparents. All of which do not have any property of their own, they have all been raised in the home where they are now living and it is unlikely they will ever leave. It is very common for families to live in one home, three or more generations sometimes living side by side.
As mentioned above, Chaya and his siblings have a situation that is seen far too often in Cambodia. Fathers seek out new wives, and mothers do the same leaving the children with relatives who may or may not have their best interests in mind. We hope to find a sponsor to help support the family with a monthly donation of 50kg of rice. The act of sponsorship helps relieve pressure on families, allow them to see the benefit of educating their children and requiring them to miss less class to help perform manual labor.
My experience in Battambang, Cambodia is my most valued single experience of my life. The children are the most loving, accepting and willing people I have ever come to know. Despite our teaching the children English, American games, and how to braid hair they definitely taught us so much more. They showed me so many lessons about compassion, courage, living simply, and appreciating what you have.
