Ouk Sitha was just 12 years old when his life as he knew it changed forever.
“When I was in Grade 7 or 8, my dad left, and he never came back,” he recalls. “I kept wishing every day for him to return home—but he didn’t.”
Growing up in Phnom Penh as the eldest of four children, Sitha suddenly found himself navigating a fractured family. His mother, left to raise the children alone, was battling both emotional trauma and early-stage cancer.
“She cried every night,” Sitha says quietly. “It was really difficult.”
The experience deeply affected him. Once a confident student, Sitha became withdrawn.
“I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to be alone.”
“Life was really difficult, but I was also blessed because family supported me
It was the first of several setbacks that Sitha, now 31, has had to overcome. From job loss and a life-threatening accident, he has bounced back and is now helping Cambodia’s most disadvantaged children overcome their own challenges.
Working with the Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF) has given Sitha a chance to draw on his own experiences and tough times to give back to others in need.
Like the children supported by CCF, Sitha knew that education is the way to a better life.
With support from his father and extended family—and a strong lesson in determination—he pushed forward.
“Life was really difficult,” he says. “But I was also blessed because my aunts and an uncle supported me. They didn’t give me money for free—they asked me to work for it. That taught me that money is not easy to earn.”
While studying English for Communication at university, Sitha worked as a barista to support himself, earning $120 a month, and got an internship with an NGO.
It was a year without a job...I didn’t know if I could find work again.
After graduating from university, Sitha secured a job as a translator with a tourism company.
But stability didn’t last long.
“When COVID came, the company went bankrupt, and I lost my job,” he says.
Returning to the province to stay with his father, Sitha faced yet another life-altering moment.
“I was on my motorbike when a cement truck hit me from behind,” he recalls. “My bike was under the truck—but luckily, I was thrown clear. That’s how I survived.”
The accident left him with a broken shoulder and months of recovery.
“It was a year without a job, and I felt really hopeless,” he admits. “I didn’t know if I could find work again.”
Just when things seemed uncertain, an opportunity came through an old connection.
“A former colleague messaged me and said, ‘I found you a job.’ That’s how I became a teacher,” Sitha says.
For four years, he taught English to young students at a private school. He also married.
But Sitha never lost sight of another goal. In 2019, after finishing his internship, he applied for a job at CCF but was not successful.
In 2024, he tried again. This time, he got the job.
Sitha works as a Sponsor Relations Officer at CCF, connecting supporters with the children whose lives they help transform.
“I love the working environment and the people,” he says. “Everyone is friendly, helpful, and supportive.”
Having faced significant hardship himself, Sitha feels a deep connection to the children he now supports.
“The CCF kids are really amazing,” he says. “They really want to achieve their dreams.”
The lesson I learned is to keep going
Now a father to a three-year-old son, Sitha is determined to build a different future for his own family.
“I don’t want my child to experience what I experienced—a separated family,” he says. “I’m doing my best. When I have free time, I always spend it with my family.”
Life is good now.
His mum remarried and is happy and healthy. His dad lives in the province with his second wife. Sitha is happily settled and looking to the future.
Sitha’s past, though painful, has shaped his outlook on life.
“It was a miserable past,” he says. “I used to cry all the time when I thought of my past. But now I am strong—I don’t cry anymore.
“The lesson I learned is to keep going. Whatever happened, I just kept telling myself that it would be okay. I wanted to see another episode of me.”
