When Sina and Sattya first met at CCF, they were children growing up in the Steung Meanchey community.
Neither could have imagined where life would take them.
Today, they are university graduates with successful careers — and, since marrying in 2022, they are building their future together.
But their journeys began with hardship.
Sina: From selling cakes to a university degree
Sina joined CCF in 2007 at age 10. Her family was struggling to survive, and her mother worked tirelessly to support six children.
Sina often missed school to help her mother earn money by selling Khmer cakes on the streets.
“My family's standard of living was very low. It was day-to-day living. My mom was pregnant, and she could barely make ends meet. My mum did everything possible to make money. She worked hard alone to support six children,” says Sina, now 30.
It was day-to-day living
I was just so happy to get an education
Sina was under a table picking up discarded beer cans at a wedding when CCF Founder Scott Neeson saw her.
“He asked if I wanted to go to school; I was so happy,” she says.
Her mother was equally overjoyed.
“That was the happiest moment my mother ever had. I can still remember her shedding tears of excitement.”
Sina thrived. Within a few months, she had won the ‘Best Newcomer’ award and was first in her class.
“I started to love school,” she says. “I made friends and did really well; I was just so happy to get an education. I was so focused.”
In 2011, she travelled to San Diego with CCF to attend the Tony Robbins Global Youth Leadership Summit (GYLS). The experience transformed her confidence and inspired her to become a youth leader herself.
“When I was a kid, I never thought I would have the opportunity to fly to the USA, but CCF made it happen. CCF opened doors for me to see the world and provided me with lots of opportunities.”
In 2014, she returned to GYLS in a CCF alumni role. Sattya also went.
After high school, Sina interned with CCF’s marketing team, developing skills in scriptwriting, photography and videography. She went on to study Media and Communication at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, graduating before beginning a career in communications.
Sina grew into a confident young leader
And developed skills for her future career (pictured left)
Her dad, who had his own struggles with alcohol addiction, passed away after a stroke but was alive to see his daughter graduate from university.
During university, Sina worked part-time and sent money to her family, who were still struggling to get by. With steady work now, Sina can help her mum, 60, and support her younger brother's studies.
Sina says: “If I hadn’t joined CCF, I might not have finished high school; I’d probably be working in a factory because that’s what people do in my village.”
Sattya: From the dumpsite to engineering
Sattya joined CCF in 2005, when he was eight.
His parents had little education and struggled to support their three children. They ran a small food business and scavenged at the dumpsite, sometimes earning as little as $2.50 a day.
“My parents had very little education. At a young age, there was Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge, and they could not attend school, only try to survive.”
After someone broke into the family’s home in rural Cambodia and stole their entire savings of $100, they moved to Steung Meanchey in search of a fresh start.
CCF became a turning point for the family. All three children eventually went to university.
Sattya became a standout young leader.
In 2019, his family faced another setback when a fire destroyed their home and shop. 52 other families lost their homes. CCF helped them rebuild their lives.
Sattya was 22 at the time and at university.
I cannot thank CCF enough for giving me a chance
He went on to graduate with a degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2023. During his studies, he was selected for a one-year engineering internship in Japan.
Today, Sattya, 29, works for a Japanese engineering company in Phnom Penh.
“I cannot imagine what my life would be like without CCF,” he says. “Maybe right now I would be working on the dumpsite. I cannot thank CCF enough for giving me the chance to learn.”
Sina and Sattya first became friends at CCF.
They grew up alongside each other, sharing the friendships, experiences and opportunities that came with being part of the CCF family.
Over time, their friendship grew into love while they were university students, and they married in late 2022.
When Sina won a scholarship to do a Master’s in Australia, Sattya went with her. Today, they’re back in Cambodia, both building successful careers — Sattya as an engineer and Sina in teaching and communications — and creating a bright future together.
Sina works part-time with CCF, helping grow the CCF alumni network and giving former students a platform to help each other and give back to CCF.
Sina says there is no grand plan for their future. They want a family and would like to explore living overseas again at some point. She mentions perhaps one day setting up a small foundation like CCF to help poor children, especially those in her village, get access to education.
Whatever happens, they'll do it together.
