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.