Meet Srey Lak Keoun. She is 5 years old. She lives in a one-room shack in a village in the slums. The village is built over a sewage marsh. Altogether, Srey Lak has four brothers and two sisters. Her father used to drink a lot and he and Srey Lak’s mother were always fighting. Three of Srey Lak’s older siblings left home to get away from the fighting. But Srey Lak’s father recently went to prison for rape, and one of her older brothers has returned home to help support their mother. The family earns money by sorting through sewage and collecting recycling.
Destiny Rescue has also set up a homework club, providing students with extra help with their studies. Many children in Cambodia start school late and struggle to keep up with their learning. The homework club enables the children to receive assistance after school hours.
Srey Lak, along with most of her siblings, recently came down with a case of scabies. Destiny Rescue took the children to the hospital, and the cream they were given seems to be working. Srey Lak is painfully shy and quiet. When she first came to Destiny Rescue, she would sit by herself and she wouldn’t listen to the teacher. But now she seems to enjoy day care. She is still shy but she listens to the teacher. She likes when they sing songs, and she enjoys playing with puzzles and with toy cars. Her favorite animal is a monkey. Her favorite color is purple. She loves to eat pork soup.
