Samloem has had a difficult life. Growing up in the rural countryside of Cambodia will always have its fair share of obstacles, but some families find they must struggle more than others. With five sisters and brothers, Samloem's parents already had their hands full. in 2005, a mosquito bite worsened to a point that Samloem's father needed to visit the hospital. Unfortunately, two weeks later, the poison took Samloem's father's life. Devastated, Samloem's mother had to become a day laborer to provide for her children. It was not enough. The boys had no choice but to go to work alongside their mother, in order to provide food for themselves and their younger siblings. With still not enough food to feed seven mouths, Samloem's grandmother took him to join a pagoda. Samloem spent seven years completing primary school with the monks. He learned about Buddhism through long days of study. His greatest joy during this time were the visits with his family.
Unable to attend secondary school because of the cost, Samloem returned to his family, in order to try helping to provide for them. Tragically, his mother would die the following year. She was one of four villagers who passed away after eating puffer fish that had been caught in a nearby lake. Without his parents to help him, Samloem sought out new ways to see that his siblings had enough to sustain them. He took many entry-level labor jobs over several years. Some paid, some did not. He knew that some posed more of a risk than others, but he would always accept the risk of working without pay... because at least some of them would give him a fair wage and allow him to put food on his siblings' table.
Despite the hardships and obstacles Samloem has faced, his willingness to keep moving forward is astounding! He committed to six months of our program, in order to learn basic air conditioning maintenance. He knew that this basic skill would already improve his standing and ability to earn wages. In his initial time with us, he was able to learn much more than he originally thought. He gained understanding of air conditioning work, but also of cement work, painting, welding, and tiling. He even spent his free time watching additional instructional videos of the skills he learned on the job, in order to solidify his expertise! Samloem agreed to a second six-month commitment with us and he began to understand how to fairly negotiate with other workers, as well as how to identify when he is being taken advantage of.
We are proud to say that Samloem and another worker have begun taking jobs on their own. With newfound skills of listening, learning, understanding, and interpersonal relations, they have been able to turn a basic service into a liveable wage for both of them. In this way, they have both been able to move from service worker to entrepreneur. It is sad for us to see Samloem exit our program, but we are thank God for the time that we were able to share with him. We know that he will take away with him much more than some basic labor techniques. He will take for himself a joyful independence and for his family, he will take hope.