TRIVANI FOUNDATION UPDATE           

January 07, 2009

The name of the Kravanh Bright Future Center (KBFC) is important—it was chosen by the students who attend it and indicates the hopeful outlook the school has given them. KBFC offers supplemental education to 100 poor students in the Kravanh area. The school addresses economic and educational disparities by offering supplementary classes in English, math, physics, chemistry, and Khmer (the official language of Cambodia) to poorer students.

Success stories of students attending the KBFC continue to fill our email accounts. The KBFC allows students to succeed in multiple ways, depending on their individual circumstances. Whether by simply subsidizing the poor quality of public education, providing a student with a uniform and school materials needed to attend public school, or doing the necessary outreach work to get a child back into the public school system, the KBFC is a life-changing program, setting up young children to succeed far into the future.

The great work of the KBFC and its life-changing effects couldn´t be better illustrated than in the success of 18-year-old Lon Houy. When Lon was just six years old, his father suddenly died after accidentally touching a poisonous forest plant. Following his death, Lon’s mother was unable to support her children, so she sent Lon and his brother to live at a Buddhist temple to be supported by monks. Lon stayed at the temple and attended school there for five years, but never excelled past grade 1 because he couldn´t pass the final exam. When Lon was 12 years old, his mother remarried and was finally able to reunite the family in their original home. For the next five years, Lon´s home life was relatively stable, and he was able to continue studying in grades 2 through 7. Last year, however, in grade 7, Lon had to drop out of school for five months to take care of his mother, who had become ill. Further tragedy followed just six months ago, when lightning struck and killed his mother. Parentless and with no one to support him, Lon and his siblings split apart. Lon had to quit school in order to support himself and pay off his family´s debts, so he found work in the forest cutting trees and trapping animals to sell. After two months, he was able to pay off the family´s debts and found residence with his aunt´s family.

Trivani came into Lon´s life shortly after he finished his work in the forest. His friend, a KBFC student, informed him about the new school. Lon was accepted to KBFC on the basis of his poverty and the hope that the school could become a stabilizing factor in his turbulent life. KBFC staff soon discovered that Lon was not attending state school because he feared he would be rejected from enrollment after his long absence while in the forest. KBFC was able to reach an agreement with the state school director in order to enroll Lon in grade 8 again.

While attending KBFC for the past four months, Lon has experienced increased confidence and, as a result, has committed himself to staying in school and finishing up to grade 12. This is his first chance to study in private classes, and he has taken full advantage by attending every class the school offers. In the classroom, Lon is an energetic and determined student who bravely volunteers to answer questions, despite his low educational level. He has also taken part in every school extra-curricular activity, including a school painting day and village environment cleanup. KBFC has become like a home for Lon, and the students and staff like a family. Amidst a turbulent and tragic family life, we hope his Trivani scholarship can continue to be a stabilizing force in both his education and his life.

Visit the Trivani Foundation website for more ways to contribute to the change we wish to see in the world.