International Women's Day

Hi Everyone,


Over the years K.I.D.S. has supported many girls and women. Today being​ ​International Women's Day we thought we would share a few of their stories.

Sopeak
Some of you may remember Sopeak, the girl with the hearing disability, who we met many years ago while visiting a poor rural village. Sopeak's mother pushed her forward from a crowd and told her to speak English and to our surprise she spoke very clearly. It turns out that she would ride her bike long distances to study at a small free English program, which had closed down. We were so impressed we offered to help her to continue her studies at a better school. That was 12 years ago. Since that time KIDS has supported Sopeak to study English and university in the city, she was often the top of her class and finished a degree in accounting and English. Coming to the city was very frightening for her however she faced her fears and worked hard and now she teaches English and Khmer at an Australian non-profit program for at risk girls.

Sopeak is now a 25 year old woman with a vision and a good job, she is married to a great man who loves her dearly and they are expecting their first baby. Sopeak has helped her family by having her sisters live with her in the city and now they both have good jobs and finished school; she also helped her parents and they were able to move from their small thatched shack and build a bigger house. Sopeak and her husband managed to buy some land and are growing mangos and other fruits and will one-day move there to be closer to her family. Education changes girl's lives and the lives of their families and Sopeak is a great example of this truth.

Sohing's School 
A few years ago, at one of our favourite restaurants, we got to know Sohing, one of the servers. After many conversations we found out that she worked 6 days a week, 12 hours a day. Sohing comes from a small village which is very poor. We discovered that she paid a teacher to teach English to some of the poorer children in her village and as these kids were often hungry she would also go out once a week on her day off and cook them a nutritious meal.

We went to visit her little school which is under her small, wooden family home. We met 35 kids that were very happy to learn and doing well with their lessons. We asked her if we could help her; that was two years ago. Sohing now lives back in her home/village, works her land, and with K.I.D.S. support keeps her little school going. This amazing woman sacrificed her own meager wages to help these lovely kids. Recently we took them all on an outing, the students adore Sohing and their teacher and have dreams of finding good jobs and bettering their lives.



Stung Treng Women's Development Centre 
This incredible program was started by two inspiring people, Kim Dara Chan and Chantha Nguon, many years ago. The program trains poor, uneducated women in the art of silk weaving. We visited their program 14 years ago and were moved by how these women were able to make a decent living in a caring, respectful and supportive community. One issue for the women was daycare and so a small daycare/kindergarten was initiated. Thanks to K.I.D.S. donors we now provide 40 children with a creative, educational program. The women who teach there are incredibly committed and skilled; in fact, when these kids go on to the government schools they are often number 1 or 2 in their classes. Now these women do not have to live in poverty and their children are happy and healthy just steps away from where they work. The beautiul silk products they make are sold around the world. In addition this year K.I.D.S. has implemented a computer training program where girl's and women can learn computer skills as well.

We admire the strength, commitment and perseverance of these girls and women who have succeeded against incredible odds. They have worked hard to improve their lives, the lives of their children, families and communities. 

Thanks for your support! 

All the best to all of you,

Adrianne and Rick