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Chakriya (pseudonym) is a 14-year-old student in grade 8 in Thmor Kol District, Battambang Province, Cambodia. She is the second oldest child in the family; her older brother, Nuth, dropped out of school in grade 8, and her younger sister is still studying in grade 7.

Chakriya and her siblings live together with her 54 year old grandma, who does not have a regular job. Chakriya’s parents divorced, and her father got a new wife.Her mother migrated to work in Thailand and since then has not had any contact with the family. The family was struggling with a very serious situation; not enough food to eat and an unsafe and leaky shelter.

Chakriya and her older brother stopped school and began working to earn money to support their family. They always worried about having enough food to eat. They did what they needed to to ensure they had food on the table for their family.

The local authorities identified the children and referred their case to the Thmor Kol District social work department, which forwarded the case to CFI. CFI social workers worked alongside the Thmor Kol District social work leader, Women’s and Children’s Consultative Committees (WCCC), and Commune Committee for Women and Children (CCWC) to assess the family to make a service plan for children’s well-being.

After having agreed to the service plan, the local authority helped to reintegrate Chakriya back into school by having support from CFI. CFI donated 40 kgs of rice, a food package, study materials, a bicycle and household materials (for bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and clothes) to get them back on their feet. CFI also built Chakriya’s family a new house for them to live safely.

Currently, Chakriya is attending her classes regularly and performing well in school. Her brother, Nuth, has chosen to continue working to earn money to support his grandmother and his siblings so they can continue to stay in school. We are hopeful that with continued support from CFI, Nuth can one day return to school as well.

Everyone in the family say that “We are so happy to have enough food, a safe house, and not to be worried when there is a big rain or wind storm.”

Since Chakriya and her sister feel safe in their new house and have enough food to eat, they have been able to stay in school and work towards a good future!