Help a young woman escape Cambodia's sex industry

The Non Formal Education program provides education and vocational training to around 130 sex workers and their children for 2-3 hours, 5 days a week for 1 year. With this training, 75% of the NFE students leave the red light districts for jobs or peruse further educational training. The story below explores Eum's experience before NFE, and how it is currently impacting her life. 

Eum is a 19-year-old who was born in Tropang Vihea Village in the Takeo Province. Eum is one of three siblings. Her father has not been present in her life and her mother passed away in 2014. When Eum’s mom was sick, her family fell deeply into debt and Eum had to drop out of school so that she could take care her mother and support her siblings’ education. To make a living, Eum caught fish that she then sold at market.

In 2012, Eum decided to come to Phnom Penh to look for work. She bounced around a couple jobs and then found a housemaid job for a nice family with a monthly salary of $50. Besides doing household chores and looking after children, Eum also helped her boss to sell clothing at market. According to Eum, her boss felt pity for her situation and often gave her money and bought her snacks. Unfortunately her boss’s wife became very jealous and Eum was forced to leave her job.

When Eum was out of work, she was told by her cousin that working at a karaoke parlor was profitable and easy job. Since Eum had nowhere else to go, she agreed to work at the karaoke parlor. Eum made a good salary and earned between $50 and $100 tips per month that she would send to her family. Eum was paying rent and barely had enough money to survive. Eum started only eating one meal a day; the free meal she was given at the karaoke bar. While being interviewed for this report, Eum cried while explaining that she would do whatever she can to make sure her two younger siblings are educated because there are only the three of them now that her mother has passed away.

While working in the karaoke, Eum met with the NFE(Non Formal Education) officer who went there to promote the NFE program and its benefits. Eum was interested because she missed the chance to be educated when she was younger. Eum wants to be able to read, write, and comprehend more. Eum enrolled in the NFE class on May 28, 2015 and qualified to do beautician skill training in November. She earned the qualification by studying hard and currently ranks at one of the top students in her class.

When being asked about the differences the program has made, Eum explained “Before joining the program, I couldn’t write much. When I wanted to note down what I wanted to buy before going shopping, I couldn’t do so. I couldn’t read big words either; I had to ask people what the words are and what they mean. People used to get annoyed and didn’t want to answer me. Some spoke behind my back that I am so stupid because I am not able to read or write. I feel much better than before now because I don’t need to bother people—I can read and write by myself! In the future, Eum wants to have her own beauty salon in Phnom Penh where they are in high demand.

“Thank you so much for giving this orphan with such a golden opportunity. This means a lot to me and I will do my best to realize my dream. I won’t make your efforts go to waste and I won’t make the donors disappointed,” Eum said when asked to give her final thoughts to her experience with NFE. “With the new skill, I will give my all to make sure my two siblings finish university,” she added.

Lotus Outreach’s Non-Formal Education (NFE) program serves over 100 young women working to escape sex-work and harsh labor by learning basic skills like literacy and numeracy, in addition to skills like sewing, food service and cosmetology. Beyond skills and education, these girls and young women gain a new found self-confidence. Here is Muon's Story:

Muon is 24 years old. She was born in Prey Lich Village, Ahcha Leak Commune, Steung Sen District, Kompong Thom Province. She is the youngest among her 5 siblings (2 girls and 3 boys). When Muon was young, her parents got divorced. Her father eventually remarried and her mom passed away when she was in 8^th grade. Muon has lived with her Uncle on her mom’s side who has four children. Muon’s uncle was very poor so she worked on the weekends to save money to buy her school uniform and materials. She often helped her uncle farm after school.

Once she had lived with her uncle for 4 years, she was sent back to live with her father because her uncle could no longer afford to feed her. While living with her father she had to sell vegetables at market to earn the means to support her education.

With all the struggle and difficulties Muon had been through, she successfully graduated high school in 2013. Without support and guidance after graduating, Muon ended up working in a beer garden as a hostess in Phnom Penh. She was told by a neighbor who had worked in the beer garden that she could earn $100 + tips. Women who work in Beer gardens make a good salary but are also pressured to make arrangements with men. Muon said that before working in the beer garden, she didn’t know the nature of the work. Muon just wanted to be able to make enough money to support herself.

When Muon first started the work, she was very shocked that she was made to sit and drink with customers to entertain. She was approached for sex often, but always refused. Still, she was physically and verbaly harassed everyday. Although Muon disliked her job, she didn’t know that she had other options. She continued to stay in the business until one day her friend (NFE graduate) told her about NFE program. Muon was told that it was not just about learning to read and write (something that didn’t interested her because she already graduated high school) but also about health issues, life skills, setting goals, skill training such as tailoring, beauty skill and cooking etc. Having heard that, she decided to enroll in NFE program in April 2015. Muon started taking classes and she found out that she really enjoys both literacy and sewing classes.

Eventhough she graduated high school, she still finds the NFE program very useful and interesting. The subjects are much more relevant and more practical than what are being taught in the curriculum of formal education. Muon lives 2kms from her NFE/sewing class so the program has provided her with a bicycle so that she can continue to study and do skill training.

Since she joined the program, Moun has been studying very hard. She is only working one shift at the beer garden now and dedicates the rest of her time to learning literacy and doing tailoring skill training. She hopes to have her own tailoring business in the future so that she doesn’t have to continue working at the beer garden. She wishes to recontrsuct her life so that she never has to face the men at the beer garden who take advantage of her.

She is very happy having joined the program as she has been receiving great mentoring from the programs officers and teachers. She feels the warmth and care the program staff and is very happy to be in a positive environment. Most importantly, Muon is starting to form a plan for her future and how she will achieve it. She would like to express her gratitude to the program staff and the donors, without whom she wouldn’t see light of her life and future.