
Bunleuy Phat
My name is Bunleuy. I was born in 2005. I am the first child in my family. I have one brother and one sister. I live in Sambou Meas village, Snoeng commune, Banan district, Battambang province. When I was young, I used to live in Samlot, which is the most dangerous place in Battambang in 2009 . I had lived there until I was 7 years old. The reason why I live in Samlot becsuse my father and grandfather found some lands in Samlot. We rented land near the mountain, but it was a very dangerous place because there were many landmines, and there was no CMAC (Cambodian Mine Action Centre at that time). My family and I prayed all the time for help when we walk or do farming. we grew some crops, such as corn, peanuts, soybeans, and sesame. We lived in a small house in the middle of the forest, far away from the village. I felt very scared at night because I heard many different sounds almost every day that came from the forest. Sometimes, I stayed at home with my mom and sister because my father had to go outside at night. He would walk through the village and into the forest to find food.
During my time in Samlot, we didn't have enough food. My family and I ate rice with salt and sugar almost every day. We didn’t even have clean water, so my father had to dig a hole to find water. When I was 7 years old, my parents sent me to school, so I had to move from Samlot to Snoeng to start my first class.
2 years later, my parents and sister returned from Samlot to Snoeng, but they didn’t stay for long. They decided to go to Thailand. I cried every day because I missed them and felt very lonely. It was very difficult for me to live without them. Then, my grandmother became ill and could no longer move. After that, my uncle who always took care my grandparents passed away. My grandmother need a person to take care, so my parents had to come back to Cambodia, even though they knew there were no jobs here.
Living in Snoeng was also difficult for my parents because they didn’t have regular job. It was very difficult for my parents to support me, my sister and my brother. Then something was happen my house was destroyed by a rain storm, and we had no place to live. One day, Teacher Joji discovered that my family needed help. Although my parents had returned to Cambodia, we received support from him and two other foreign teachers, Susan and Jennifer. This support allowed me to study both English and Khmer.
When I was in high school, in 11th grade, my father became very sick. My family and I didn’t have enough money to send him to the hospital. Thankfully, Teacher Joji helped us, and he continued to support us until I graduated from high school. After that, I felt hopeless because I didn’t think I had no money to study at university. However, Teacher Joji encouraged and supported me, so I was able to study at university. I am very thankful to him for letting me join TASSEL.
In 2024, I started working at TASSEL. This is my first year working there, and I have gained a lot of experiences and advice from my teachers. I have also had the opportunity to contribute to my community by teaching English, giving rice and sharing my love and care for them. TASSEL is an organization in Cambodia that supports poor children and families. I enjoy working at TASSEL because the Khmer teachers treat me like a brother, and we work together as a family. There are also many foreign teachers who care about us. TASSEL has changed the lives of many poor students. TASSEL is the best organization in Cambodia.
