A Restored Life

I can barely contain my excitement for one of the young women in our program at Mother's Heart crisis pregnancy center.  She just recently received notice that she will able to attend a local university. I am so proud of her courage, inner strength, and persistence in fulfilling her dream to pursue a university degree!

When I first met Sokleak in February of 2012, it was actually my first day at Mother's Heart. I accompanied one of our social workers, Thary,  to Calmette Hospital to meet Sokleak for the first time.  We arrived at the hospital, and located her in a small, cramped post delivery room.  She was smiling with enthusiasm as she was holding her beautiful newborn little girl.  Sokleak had no family or friends with her. We were here today to process her hospital discharge and assist her with transportation back to her home.

(Most pre and post partum rooms in hospitals are overcrowded resulting in some women having to labor on cots in the hallways)

As the months passed, I slowly learned of Sokleak's past.  She had grown up as a little girl in a small village with her mom and dad. It was during that time, that a man traveled through their village looking for work. He obtained a small temporary job in their community.  It was shortly after that when both the man and Sokleak disappeared.  The man kidnapped Sokleak and illegally took her to Thailand were he trafficked her in the sex industry as just a small child. This man became her new family. Later, when Sokleak was older, she returned to Cambodia. She eventually escaped him and reintegrated back into Cambodia as best as possible, but still alone.

Sokleak, being estranged from her family and unable to locate them, found herself single and pregnant.  Having heard of Mother's Heart, she located our offices in desperation for help. Mother's Heart immediately enrolled her our program and provided her with pre-natal care, shelter, and food.

(Cambodian University in Phnom Penh)

Sokleak was a bright young woman. Her English speaking skills were strong. She loved her little girl and chose to give her an English name, Sarah.  Sokleak's dream was to attend a university.  However, universities in Cambodia are private and no government loans are available for students. And so, her dream would have to be set aside. 

After Sara was 3 months old, Mother's Heart provided Sokleak with vocational training in hospitality and cooking. The next big hurdle was about to begin. Job placement for Sokleak had come to a halt.  She needed a birth certificate to prove her date of birth and Cambodian citizenship.  This information could only be found in her parent's "family book" which is a hard copy and kept only by each individual family unit. 

Mother's Heart enlisted a legal organization called SISHA to help locate her family.  After months of searching, her family was located. However, her mother had died and her father had remarried and started a new family.  The new family was refusing to allow Sokleak access to the family book for fears of having to share their family's inheritance with her.  It was a long legal battle, but with the help of SISHA, we eventually acquired a birth certificate for Sokleak.

Sokleak soon after began her new job as a hospitality worker. However, her dream of attending a university still grew in her heart.  Mother's Heart began praying for a financial miracle that would allow Sokleak to attend a university. Several months later, and almost a year and half after I first met her, Sokleak's dream came true.  She found and applied to a local non-governmental organization that agreed to sponsor her to attend a university!

www.mothersheart-cambodia.org

I am so proud of all the staff at Mother's Heart and all the local organizations here in Phnom Penh who helped Sokleak. I continue to pray for God's blessings in her life and in Sarah's life as they continue this amazing journey as a family!
                           Tricia

(For client confidentiality and safety, real names and personal photos were not used)




SISHA is a non-profit organization that strives for justice for victims of human trafficking