Battambang, KH – Boupha’s life is transformed – 27 Oct 2014
Children’s Future International students recently started a new school year. All students were eager to begin, but the Dewey International University Students were particularly excited as they feel included by their peers, supported by their teachers, and know that they will increase their knowledge throughout the year.
Boupha is a 9th grade student at Dewey International University. When Children’s Future staff first met Boupha they found that her life was very unstable. She was unsafe, attending school irregularly, did not have access to clean water, and often did not have enough food to eat. Domestic violence was a norm in her household. At that point in her life she was inconsistently studying in public school in her local village. When she attended, Boupha frequently received poor grades in her classes. She was often required to participate in extra classes and/or bribe her teacher with small gifts, incurring extra fees for her family. Moreover, she was often punished physically in her classes. She experienced very little support from her teacher, and noted that she often did not learn much in her classes.
With this information about Boupha, Children’s Future social workers enrolled her in Children’s Future programming and invited her to live in the Children’s Future girl’s home. Boupha and her parents accepted this offer. Today, Boupha studies at Dewey International University and her life has dramatically changed. Boupha no longer needs to attend extra classes to ensure good grades, her teachers no longer punish her physically, and she receives ongoing nutritious meals. Boupha notes that her teachers take care of all students, and that teachers show an interest in student learning. Specifically, Boupha has improved her Khmer language scores and she has become very fond of geography, history, computer, and Khmer classes. She plays soccer on one of the Children’s Future girls’ teams, and in her spare time she enjoys spending time with her friends, drawing, reading, singing, playing with dolls, and acting.
When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Boupha says, “I want to be an author, but my biggest dream is to become the Cambodian president.” Her desire to become the president is rooted in her ambitions to help the poor and give children opportunities to study. Boupha notes that if she doesn’t become president, she will still work hard and use her money to help her country and the poor people. She states, “I want the younger generation to try hard to study and earn money to support their families and our country.”