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Sophea Meach

My name is Sophea Meach. I was born in 1999 in Sraecharm village, O-chrov commune, Preynub district, Kos Kong province. It’s near the sea. After I was born, my parents had to move to another province to survive. I have four siblings, two brothers, and two sisters. Unfortunately, my oldest brother had to drop out in first grade. He had to find food to support the whole family. He doesn’t know how to read or write. I went through a lot of hardships. Since my parents couldn’t afford me to go to school, I had to quit in grade 9. I was so sad at that time because I wanted to continue high school. I cried almost every night, but I didn’t let anyone know, not even my parents. They also felt pity for me but they couldn’t help. Later, I started working as a second-hand clothes seller and a housekeeper. I worked days and nights and I could sleep only for about several hours. Fortunately, my mother heard the good news on the radio that there was a school offering free English and computer classes to those who dropped out of school or those who couldn’t afford to go to school.

The school’s name is FEFA. It was near Battambang city. Soon after I heard the good news, I stopped working and took the opportunity to enroll in FEFA hoping to start a new life. I tried very hard to master the skills. Two years later, I graduated and got a job as an English teacher in a private school. During my teaching period, I also wanted to graduate high school to continue my higher education in college. I worked from early in the morning until late at night. I had to teach and do housework for my boss. The rest of the time, I had to do self-study to prepare myself for the high school graduation exam. Luckily, I made it. However, another big challenge was that I didn’t have money to go to college because I earned very little. Soon after, Covid-19 spread throughout the world. The school I worked at had to close for a long time and I became jobless.


Fortunately, I knew Teacher Vanna and he told me about TASSEL. I was so happy to hear from him that I decided to apply to TASSEL because teaching and helping kids has always been my dream. I finally passed all the interviews and started working in late 2020. TASSEL completely changed my life. Through TASSEL, I have a chance to serve the children and the villagers who need help.  TASSEL makes the saddest families who have lost hope and who have been suffering smile again. TASSEL also shapes a brighter future for hundreds of children. Teacher Joji and the foreign teachers are my true heroes. I also finally could go to college. Cambodia is SO blessed to have the TASSEL organization. 






Sophea Meach
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