Rasmey’s life was turned upside down in 2018 when his father, an electrician, died in a freak accident at work. Following the fatal incident, his mother made the difficult decision to move from their rural hometown to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh to take up work at a plastic factory, earning only 150$ a month to provide for the family. From this moment on, then-11-year-old Rasmey started living on his own in his family’s old wooden house.
Two of Rasmey’s aunts live in the neighborhood, but the boy mainly had to learn to manage his everyday life by himself. He always stayed focused on his school performance and has been getting great results throughout Secondary school despite the tumultuous circumstances that he had to deal with in his home life. His family’s house, which he continued to live in, is deteriorating and didn’t provide a safe space for him. The roof was leaking during raining season and the walls were so broken that snakes were able to crawl in, exposing the teenager to great danger at times.
Last December, Rasmey graduated from Secondary school. Thomlang – Cambodian Youth Support connected him with the Don Bosco boarding school, an Italian NGO, that provides a safe home for underprivileged minors like Rasmey, just 30 minutes south of his hometown. We will cover the costs for his accommodation, meals, and school supplies, as well as his tuition at the local public high school. At the Don Bosco boarding school, he is surrounded by students his age and looked after by Cambodian teachers. We hope, that this will give him a sense of safety and comradery, that he hasn’t had the privilege of experiencing since he was left alone at 11.
Rasmey is an ambitious student who dreams of one day proceeding to become an electrician, just like his late father. We are committed to supporting him through education so that he can realize these goals.
Support underprivileged students like Rasmey through education by donating to CYS today!
