Sarin watched for hours as we worked on our water project at the Somaly Mam Foundation rescue home in Phnom Penh. Our goal was to provide her, and the hundred other girls here, with access to safe water at any time of day. Before this, the only two options she had were contaminated well water or prohibitively expensive bottled water.
When our day’s work was completed, clean water flowed freely from their faucets. And the girls celebrated! Songs were sung, water glasses were raised high in a toast. Sarin was the first of the girls to drink, and the last to leave the scene. She is the one who sticks with me most when I think about this particular site - one of 150 projects we undertook in 2009.
Sarin speaks Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer, and some English and French. She is seventeen, enjoys pop music, loves pictures of her friends, and keeps a daily journal full of her thoughts and dreams (adorned with Hello Kitty stickers throughout). She laughs at childish jokes. She speaks of places she has never been, and will most likely never go, yet with clarity and thoughtfulness well beyond her years or experience. It is difficult to imagine this is actually the same girl I met, one week prior, who was in convulsing tears recounting her years in captivity as a slave in a Cambodian brothel.
Kidnapped and abused, she was eventually rescued and brought to this shelter. With no material possessions, except for those she received upon her arrival, and no family but the other girls and women in the shelter, she is just beginning to understand what kindness and compassion are inside the walls of this compound. She is surrounded by other girls living, learning, and recovering at this facility for trafficked survivors.
This site shelter was founded by a woman named Somaly Mam. As an orphaned child in rural Cambodia, Somaly was sold into sexual slavery by a man posing as a family member. The cost? A little more than twenty U.S. dollars. For the better part of a decade, Somaly was trapped in the violent underworld of Cambodia’s brothels. She eventually escaped, vowing never to forget those left behind. And she hasn't.
Since 1996, Somaly has been a tireless abolitionist of human sex trafficking, helping rescue and rehabilitate more than 5,000 children and women. Through her organization, Somaly has established three Cambodian rescue homes: two for girls aged thirteen and older, and one serving younger victims - some as young as three years old. Their holistic approach ensures that victims are not only rescued from the brothel, but are also supported with the economic and emotional tools to face the future with both courage and practical skills.
a child’s right has been fortunate to work with all three Somaly Mam rescue homes in Cambodia, ensuring the water the girls drink, cook with, and use for washing is safe and clean. It is incredible to see how integral clean water is for their recovery: safe drinking water to ensure stable health, food cleaned and prepared with potable water to reduce illnesses, and a steady supply of clean water for bathing all aid in the recovery.
Bill Livermore, Executive Director of the Somaly Mam Foundation, states that safe water is a “very critical component to us: it means the victims can clean themselves properly, which is very important [as they heal]. It means that they have drinking water that is healthy . . . [And for the Foundation,] the money freed up from no longer buying bottled water can be redirected to employ a full time psychologist for each shelter with those savings. Or hire a second doctor…”
Sarin continues to gain strength from her new family. At some point, she will be able to leave this place empowered with new skills, determination, and a support network to ensure she is always lifted up. Until then, during her time in the shelter, I know she is loved. I know she is protected. I know her food is safe, her water is clean, and she can bathe with dignity. It is not as much as I wish we could give, but it is a start toward a better life and I am so humbled and thankful we can play a small role in this incredible, and incredibly difficult, transition.
As we get caught up in the gravity of the situation these girls are dealing with, we are continuously encouraged by Somaly’s comments to us after our first project with her, “we love a lot, we laugh a lot, we cry a lot… but this small gift means a great deal to us. It means you love us”.
No doubt.
- Eric Stowe, June 2010
For more information on the Somaly Mam Foundation see www.somaly.org
When our day’s work was completed, clean water flowed freely from their faucets. And the girls celebrated! Songs were sung, water glasses were raised high in a toast. Sarin was the first of the girls to drink, and the last to leave the scene. She is the one who sticks with me most when I think about this particular site - one of 150 projects we undertook in 2009.
Sarin speaks Thai, Vietnamese, Khmer, and some English and French. She is seventeen, enjoys pop music, loves pictures of her friends, and keeps a daily journal full of her thoughts and dreams (adorned with Hello Kitty stickers throughout). She laughs at childish jokes. She speaks of places she has never been, and will most likely never go, yet with clarity and thoughtfulness well beyond her years or experience. It is difficult to imagine this is actually the same girl I met, one week prior, who was in convulsing tears recounting her years in captivity as a slave in a Cambodian brothel.
Kidnapped and abused, she was eventually rescued and brought to this shelter. With no material possessions, except for those she received upon her arrival, and no family but the other girls and women in the shelter, she is just beginning to understand what kindness and compassion are inside the walls of this compound. She is surrounded by other girls living, learning, and recovering at this facility for trafficked survivors.
This site shelter was founded by a woman named Somaly Mam. As an orphaned child in rural Cambodia, Somaly was sold into sexual slavery by a man posing as a family member. The cost? A little more than twenty U.S. dollars. For the better part of a decade, Somaly was trapped in the violent underworld of Cambodia’s brothels. She eventually escaped, vowing never to forget those left behind. And she hasn't.
Since 1996, Somaly has been a tireless abolitionist of human sex trafficking, helping rescue and rehabilitate more than 5,000 children and women. Through her organization, Somaly has established three Cambodian rescue homes: two for girls aged thirteen and older, and one serving younger victims - some as young as three years old. Their holistic approach ensures that victims are not only rescued from the brothel, but are also supported with the economic and emotional tools to face the future with both courage and practical skills.
a child’s right has been fortunate to work with all three Somaly Mam rescue homes in Cambodia, ensuring the water the girls drink, cook with, and use for washing is safe and clean. It is incredible to see how integral clean water is for their recovery: safe drinking water to ensure stable health, food cleaned and prepared with potable water to reduce illnesses, and a steady supply of clean water for bathing all aid in the recovery.
Bill Livermore, Executive Director of the Somaly Mam Foundation, states that safe water is a “very critical component to us: it means the victims can clean themselves properly, which is very important [as they heal]. It means that they have drinking water that is healthy . . . [And for the Foundation,] the money freed up from no longer buying bottled water can be redirected to employ a full time psychologist for each shelter with those savings. Or hire a second doctor…”
Sarin continues to gain strength from her new family. At some point, she will be able to leave this place empowered with new skills, determination, and a support network to ensure she is always lifted up. Until then, during her time in the shelter, I know she is loved. I know she is protected. I know her food is safe, her water is clean, and she can bathe with dignity. It is not as much as I wish we could give, but it is a start toward a better life and I am so humbled and thankful we can play a small role in this incredible, and incredibly difficult, transition.
As we get caught up in the gravity of the situation these girls are dealing with, we are continuously encouraged by Somaly’s comments to us after our first project with her, “we love a lot, we laugh a lot, we cry a lot… but this small gift means a great deal to us. It means you love us”.
No doubt.
- Eric Stowe, June 2010
For more information on the Somaly Mam Foundation see www.somaly.org
Before A Child’s Right partnered with AFESIP, ensuring all residents and staff had enough clean, safe water to drink was both time consuming and expensive. The centre drivers had make regular trips to buy large bottles of water which costed the charity $450 per month, $5,400 per year.
Since ‘A Child’s Right’ came and installed their water systems in all 3 of the centres, AFESIP has been relived of this monthly financial cost and not only do residents and staff have access to clean drinking water whenever they wish, our Kampong Cham centre can now also provide safe water to the local village children who had previously had to drink the unfiltered water from the tap. It has made a significant difference to our charity and AFESIP is very grateful to ‘A Child’s Right’ for the fantastic support and help they have given us.
—Som Sophatra: Chief Administrator of AFESIP Cambodia
