It started with a game of Frisbee.
We’d had the day off and we were rather bored, so we went down to the park that night for some impromptu “Park Ministry.” That was the night we met 5-year-old Phreas (prononced “Br-eye”) and his sister, 11-year-old Ven. We played Frisbee with them for an hour or so, and I was immediately enchanted by these two skinny, dirty, joyful kids. They didn’t speak any English and we didn’t speak any Khmer; it didn’t matter. A friendship was forged.
I saw Phreas a week or so later while walking down the street. He recognized me immediately and a huge smile lit up his face. He had a trash bag as big as he was slung over his shoulder, and I wondered, “Kiddo, what is your story?”
Fast forward another couple of weeks; Phreas and Ven showed up at a concert in the park. I looked to the side and there he was, staring at me and smiling.
I wish I knew your story.
Eventually, Jesus set it all up for us. Two nights ago, my teammate Shannon, who had also been spending time with these kids, found them at the park and ushered them across the street to the school where we had been volunteering for the past two weeks. We’d shared our concern about these kids with Sao Thy, the principal of the school, so he and his wife were happy to talk with these kids and share their story with us. As it turns out, the children live with their mother. Their father died three years ago. They work as scavengers, finding recyclables to sell. They eat and drink whatever they can find. They’ve also been forced to beg and steal to survive. When I got out of class, Shannon excitedly informed me that we had a lunch date set up with the kids from the park for the next day.
We sat in the shade of a tree in the park yesterday afternoon, waiting for our two friends to show up. And show up they did; not two, but four little kids came running, huge grins on their faces, and launched themselves one by one into Shannon’s arms. More kids and even a couple of adults began to congregate. We decided to walk across the street to Sao Thy’s school, Apple General Knowledge School, because he was also coming to lunch with us to translate. The kids followed. Once at the school, we got more information about who all these kids were. Two girls, ages 13 and 15 (although they looked more like 9 and 12), were sisters of Phrease and Ven. They other three who had followed us were their neighbors. We learned that the four Chhan children are not in school, although they would like to be.
We said good-bye to the neighbor kids and walked the Chhan children to a nearby restaurant, where we ordered rice, chicken, and vegetables. During lunch, Jocelyn asked the kids what they’d like to be when they grow up. Phreas wants to be a carpenter/engineer; Ven, a nurse; the 13-year-old sister Vorn, a hotel receptionist; the 15-year-old sister, Wey, said she would probably get a job at the factory. “I want to study,” confided five year old Phreas, “so I don’t have to be bad.” None of them have been to school for a year, due to lack of money and because they are needed to help their family earn an income. We realized that if we wanted to send these kids to school that it would be necessary to clear it with their mother first.
After lunch, we piled into Sao Thy’s school van and drove the kids home. We turned left at the elephant statue and drove down a dirt road that was lined with small wooden houses built on stilts. Stopping in front of one of these dwellings, we crawled out of the van and followed the kids up a wooden ramp and entered their home.
We found ourselves in a wooden room that was mostly bare, except for a hammock and an old television. Another older sister who clearly had special needs sat in a corner of the room, looking frightened. There was another room behind it where we could glimpse what looked like a kitchen. Unfortunately, the kids’ mother was not at home, but we were able to meet a woman who was either their older sister or their aunt (I’m still a little unclear on that), and her husband. Sao Thy explained that we (the three Americans now standing awkwardly in their front room) were interested in paying for the four children to attend his school. Would they be allowed?
The sister/aunt said yes, they would.
So now, we are working with our host, Dara, who already has a nonprofit organization set up here in Cambodia, and with Sao Thy, the principal of the school, to determine sponsorship costs for these kids.
Sao Thy has given us the following information about the cost to attend Apple General Knowledge School:
Tuition: $13/month
Snacks/Water: $15/month
2 bikes for the kids to get themselves to and from school: $25 each
Uniforms: $13 each (each kid needs 2)
Supplies (book, pencil, marker, board, etc): $10/kid/semester (3 months)
After contacting family and friends from home, we already have three people who are willing to sponsor one kid each! Praise the Lord! We still need one more for the fourth Chhan sibling…and there are many more kids like these four who could be sponsored through Dara’s organization. If any of you feel led to help, please message me on Facebook or send me an email at [email protected].
Sao Thy, the principal, has three schools in Sisophon. We have been working at two of them this month and I can tell you that they are staffed by wonderful, caring teachers, and that the children there are happy and learning. They have English classes and a Khmer class; we thought it best to let their mother decide with class would be better for the Chhan children. This is where they will go to school:
We know that God placed these kids in our path for a reason. We know that sometimes all a child needs for his entire future to change is just one break, one chance. We believe that Sao Thy is an unsung hero who will do his utmost to keep these kids in school. And we know that there are people out there, people like you, our most precious family and friends, who have the means and the desire to help the poor and the fatherless. And so we are trusting in God for the next step in this adventure.
I love you all and thank you for you continued prayers. Thanks for being on this journey with me!
Wey (age 15), Phreas (age 5), Ven (age 11), and Vorn (age 13)
