If there’s one thing that Sreynet wishes to pass on to the children she works with at the Cambodian Children’s Fund, it's the power of education to change lives.
She’s not just saying the words. Sreynet has experienced the impact of educational transformation and now wants to use this to inspire another generation of children to take the same path she did.
“I was from a poor family. Most people in my village did not think about how important education was, but my parents believed in education and tried to support us in getting an education,” says Sreynet.
“My dad told my siblings and me that he didn’t have anything to give us kids; he only had the power to work and support us going to school. If we choose education, we can have it, but if not, it’s up to us. So, I decided to choose education.”
It's time for me to share my experience with the kids to give them a chance to get an education too
Working in the Sponsorship team with Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF), Sreynet, 31, relates to children from challenging backgrounds like hers who now have their own chance to find salvation in education.
“It’s time for me to use what I got from my parents, to share my experience with the kids to give them a chance to get an education too,” she says.
“I also want to show people that poor kids can have a better life if they work hard and get an education, they can get it.”
Sreynet is certainly leading by example.
She has a calm but determined personality and speaks articulately in English about her childhood, growing up the youngest of six kids.
Her parents were farmers, and the family moved frequently when she was a child, going from province to province in Cambodia, wherever the work was. When the children were old enough, they would work, too.
All of us had to work to fight for life
Sreynet remembers having to help her mum sell cakes or Khmer food before going to primary school.
“We tried to work and earn money and just hoped for a good life. All of us had to work to fight for life,” says Sreynet.
When Sreynet was 12, her father passed away in a moto accident at night.
“My mum was then a single mum, having to raise six kids. She worked hard. Not only her but also my siblings, they all worked together as farmers. During the rainy season, we would grow rice; during the dry season, my mum sold snacks in the village,” says Sreynet.
Still, it was not enough.
Sreynet’s mum had to borrow money to survive and cover daily basics such as food, schooling, and medicine when the children got sick.
It put the family into debt, which took years of hard work to clear.
“When I started working and all my siblings, we paid little by little. It’s paid off now,” says Sreynet.
Despite the turmoil and loss of her father, Sreynet stayed true to her decision to choose education and graduated from Grade 12 in 2013. However, her plans to attend university had to be put on hold because there wasn’t enough money to pay the fees.
Instead, Sreynet taught English to the children in her village before securing work in Phnom Penh, briefly as a Teaching Assistant and then for a small local charity in the team dealing with child sponsorship.
Her earnings were enough to fund a place at university to study English Literature. She worked during the day, attended classes in the evening, and sent some money to support her mum.
Her mum was so proud when she obtained a degree. Sreynet’s happiness was tinged with sadness that her father, who encouraged her to aim high, could not see his daughter graduate from university.
I also knew about Scott [Neeson, CCF’s Founder) and saw how he had sacrificed for Cambodian kids
In November 2022, Sreynet realised her dream to work with CCF with a job as a Sponsor Relations Officer, acting as the go-between sponsors and their children, helping with email communication, video calls and in-country visits.
“I heard about CCF when I was in university because one of my classmates at the time worked for CCF in the Sponsorship Program. I also knew about Scott [Neeson, CCF’s Founder) and saw how he had sacrificed for Cambodian kids. I felt so proud of him and wanted to be a part of it,” says Sreynet.
Based at CCF’s Neeson Cripps Academy, Sreynet has 36 kids ranging in age from kindergarten to university students.
She loves her job, bringing sponsors and their sponsored children together and being part of a team with a shared vision.
“Everybody in CCF works hard for the kids. Yes, we get a salary, but without love, you cannot do this job.”
Sreynet is now a mother to a five-year-old daughter and son, aged two and a half. Her French husband lives in France at the moment, and Sreynet lives with two of her sisters and her mum, who helps out with childcare.
Becoming a mum has given her a deeper understanding of her parents' sacrifices to ensure their children could have an education.
“I want to use my education experience to help Cambodian children
While her father managed to finish Grade 12, Sreynet’s mum dropped out of school in Grade 2 or 3, and both wanted to provide more opportunities than they ever had.
Sreynet’s two brothers also chose education, as she did, and made it to university. One is now a lawyer, and the other is a civil engineer.
Sreynet’s two children attend school daily and live very different lives than their mother did growing up, something she does not want them to take for granted.
“I want my kids to go to university, get a good job, and have a good life, but I also want them to experience how life really is,” says Sreynet.
“I worked hard to support them, but in the future, I don’t plan to support them 100%. I want them to know how life is and that you must work hard for it.”
As for her own future, Sreynet wants to continue using her past for the greater good.
“I want to use my education experience to help Cambodian children. I want to motivate them to try hard for a better life as I did.”
