Cambodia has been in the news worldwide recently, but unfortunately, not for the right reasons. A decade-long border conflict in the North of Cambodia near the historic Preah Vihear temples escalated in July and turned into a violent conflict, causing thousands of both Cambodian and Thai families to fear for their lives and seek refuge in makeshift camps.
While most of our students and the families in need that we support are based in the South of Cambodia, there was one student of ours who was directly affected by the crossfire – Somnang.
Somnang comes from a small family of farmers in Oddar Meanchey province, right by the Thai border. Upon graduating from high school, Somnang – being the oldest child in her family – was committed to finding a way to be able to pursue a Bachelor’s degree and ended up landing a scholarship at a university located in Battambang, a five-hour drive from her hometown. Ever since then, our organization has supported her through the coverage of her living costs, the donation of a laptop and a moto, as well as medical bills whenever needed.
While Somnang was focused on preparing for her semester midterms throughout the month of July, sudden news broke that the border conflict had escalated. Her and her family’s lives were completely derailed, and Somnang had to fear for her relatives’ safety for weeks on end.
Read more about Somnang’s experience in her own words below:
Hello everybody.
My name is Somnang, and I am 19 years old. I am a university student in Battambang city, but originally I come from Oddar Meanchey province, which is a rural area near the Thai border. My parents and my two younger siblings live at our house while I am in university.
These pasts two months have been very difficult for us. Because in July, Thailand and Cambodia were fighting at the border. My family lives so close to the border that they heard all the gunshots from the war. When the conflict happened, they were so scared for their safety that they fled their homes. My family fled our village and ended up living in a camp, far from our house. They left behind their jobs, all of our belongings, their farm, and everything that was our livelihood. At the refugee camp, they didn’t have a proper shelter and they lacked food, supplies, and clean water. It was a really difficult time for my family.
They decided to create a small shelter for themselves by putting some plastic coverage on a remork, but it was barely enough room for four people. Also, it is currently rainy season in Cambodia, and when it was raining heavily, everything got wet, making it hard for them to stay safe, cook or sleep.
These situations are hard for everybody, but they are especially hard for elderly people or young children, like my sister. My sister couldn’t continue attending school during that time, and I was very worried about her education. Also, the camp was very close to the forest, so there were lots of insects and mosquitoes that could transmit diseases. I myself was safe in my student room in Battambang, but my heart was breaking for my family and I was crying all day and all night.
However, I would like to take this moment to thank you for providing my family with donations during their time at the refugee camp. They really needed your help to buy necessities like food and hygiene products. We are very lucky that there are generous people like you in countries far away from Cambodia, but also very generous and committed helpers within Cambodia who helped thousands of families that were displaced by the war.
I was hoping and praying every day that the two countries would cease to be in conflict and return to peace. I am glad that the peace returned and eventually – after several weeks of living in the refugee camp – my parents and my siblings were also able to return back to our house in mid August.
Thank you so much for everything and for listening to my family’s story.
All the best,
Somnang
We kept in close contact with Somnang’s family during their time at the refugee camp and have provided the children with new school supplies upon their return back to their hometown. We are truly relieved that Cambodia and Thailand have agreed to a cease fire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict, and continue to be committed to assuring everyone’s well-being.