At the age of 9, Thearana and her siblings were left to care for themselves when their parents traveled to the Thai border in search of work. Due to the absence of an adult caretaker, Thearana barely attended her classes at public school and was in danger of failing grade four. Children’s Future learned of Thearana’s situation and stepped in to provide guidance. CFI’s education advocate, Sreyrath, and the social work team collaborated with Thearana to help her attend her public school classes.

Thearana’s efforts to attend school regularly were met with many challenges, as Thearana had no adult figure telling her to go to school and she did not listen to her older siblings. For this reason, one of CFI’s social workers made sure to pay close attention to Thearana’s attendance. If the team heard that Thearana was not in school, a representative would immediately go to her house to talk with her and motivate her to go to school that day. The social workers worked closely with Thearana every day to teach her the positive outcomes of getting an education and help her stay motivated to attend her classes. With the encouragement and guidance of CFI, Thearana was able to pass.

Now in grade five, Thearana’s performance in school has drastically improved and she never misses class. Over the past two months, Thearana has become one of the top fifteen students in her class, thriving in her academic environment and serving as a role model for her friends and other children in her school and community.