K…… is a 17 years old lad we have known for several years and we have seen him grow from a small boy to a youth.
Amongst the poorest of the poor, his dwelling is a hut on borrowed land (see “We Made It!”). Last year he gave Martin a krama as a gift (a krama is a traditional Khmer scarf) and we wanted to spend time on this visit with him.
He came to see us on Monday at the school and we couldn’t help but feel that he appeared sad. We assumed this was because of the death of his father last year but yesterday at the school he came to us again and we learned more of his life since we last met him.
He had been attending High School (some distance away) but had started missing classes and was eventually suspended (what we call expelled) for failure to attend. He had gotten into company with bad friends who came from more affluent families of the area and took to smoking opium. His bike, which we had given him, had been taken by his brother so that he could go selling books at Angkor Wat. Kong Nhar himself was no longer selling. He was depending on the generosity of an ‘auntie’ in the village to give him one meal a day. (Apparently his mother is being given meals by families in the village.)
What to do? After speaking firmly with him about the necessity of being at school, we took him to Mr Hon (his school principal from Primary School). Between us we established his willingness to return to High School if it were possible. The problem was, would he be allowed to return?
We asked him to meet us the next day in clean, presentable clothes and that we would take him to the High School and request that the Principal accept him.
This morning (Thursday) we met him at the appointed time at Khvein Primary School. He looked quite a smart young man – he told us later that he had borrowed the clothes for his interview!
At the High School, the Principal received us kindly and after some negotiation – K………… is required to repeat Grade 7 and to attend each day without fail and in a clean, smart, school uniform with hair properly groomed – he produced an agreement form for K………. to complete with us as his ‘guarantors’. If he misses one day, we will be advised.
Tomorrow we shall be taking him in to Siem Reap to buy him two school uniforms (how could he keep just one uniform clean in his circumstances?) and another new bicycle!
Mr Hon will be supplying him with exercise books from the surplus stock at the Primary School.
K…………… did ask if he could be in G….’s class and the Principal agreed. This gives us reason to hope for the best for we have much more confidence in G…… We’ve written of him before and we have asked them both to look out for each other.
Martin spoke with K………….. about what makes a true friend – one wants the best for you, one who will not seek your harm – and exhorted him to steer clear of his so-called friends who have led him astray.
We’ve asked him what he would like to do to support himself and he seems quite willing to take on selling books and postcards to the tourists so we shall be taking him to a middle man and getting a stock to get him started again.
So we have ‘adopted’ another lad and, of course, do so want to see him do well. We hope the best for him but have our fears for his future.
Martin and Margaret
Note: For child safety reasons, names are not shown.