TRIVANI FOUNDATION UPDATE           

            May 20, 2009

Seventeen-year-old Vannak Long and his family of seven live in a small wooden home and struggle to survive as farmers in rural Cambodia. Vannak’s father must travel great distances to work in Thailand, and both parents are typically absent from the home as they try to make ends meet. There are times when there is nothing to eat and no money to repair the family bicycle—their only form of transportation—and the struggle to keep the family going has put a strain on everyone. Vannak has opted to stay with his many small siblings and manage the household alone, but this situation has also made it very difficult for him to remain in school. He spends most of his free time helping to grow cabbage, cultivate the family land, and hopefully earn enough money to buy rice.

In addition to his family’s poverty, Vannak has had to struggle with the requirements his education has placed on him. Vannak is in grade 9 and the nearest secondary school is 1 kilometer from his home. Since the family only has one bicycle, Vannak must walk the entire journey to and from school on foot, which takes several hours out of his already busy day. School supplies are also a problem. His family can barely afford the supplies he needs to do well in school. All of these contraints eventually compelled Vannak to drop out.

Fortunately, Vannak found the Kravahn Bright Future Center (KBFC) and now has the support and motivation he needs to continue his education until grade 12. Cambodia’s current public school system is so poor, in rural areas in particular, that most students must supplement their schooling with private lessons in order to make it on to college. Vannak now has the opportunity to supplement his education with classes that will prepare him for life and further education. He even received a bicycle from the KBFC to make his travels easier.

Vannak is a pleasant, well-behaved student, and he is especially grateful for the friendly and professional KBFC teachers, who have helped him to improve his English, math, physics, Khmer, and chemistry. We hope he will continue to warm KBFC with his pleasant character and positive attitude until he finishes grade 12.

Seventeen-year-old Sokly Ouen and her family live in very similar conditions to Vannak’s family: All ten family members live in a small wooden home and struggle to survive as farmers in rural Cambodia. The family’s poverty requires that every member help out with family responsibilities, so Sokly spends much of her time helping to care for her younger siblings, cook meals, carry water, find firewood, sweep the home, wash dishes, and look for buffalo.

Like Vannak, Sokly has had a very difficult time earning her education. To attend grade 9 at the nearest secondary school, Sokly must travel 3 kilometers each way—an impossible task in combination with her many responsibilities at home. Her family also cannot afford school supplies or a bicycle and food for her journey. This situation left Sokly with no other choice but to drop out of school.

Until Sokly found KBFC, she had never received supplemental education. Now, Sokly can enjoy the support she needs to complete her schooling and hopefully make her way to college. The KBFC has been a great opportunity for Sokly, and she is very grateful for the things she is learning there. She also received a bicycle from the school so she can travel much more quickly to and from her home. We hope she will continue to grace the school with her presence until she finishes grade 12 and can move on to bigger and better things.

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