Dear All,

I recently flew to Cambodia, one of the poorest nations in the world to help the less fortunate. It had been one of my life long passions to volunteer abroad to aid the poor. One of my aims was to promote Oral Health and with the Dental knowledge/skills I had gained over the past several years, I was extremely eager to offer this during my time there.

I provided valuable knowledge to promote and educate the importance of Oral Hygiene and the risks of Betel Nut chewing (cause of mouth cancer) to support the children and families in their schools and villages. After months of planning, I managed to collect 700 tooth brushes, 800 tooth pastes and barely took along any clothes.

During my time there, I taught English to the local Cambodian children and teenagers. I also taught 1-2-1 English classes every afternoon to one student in particular who I grew very fond of, named Sokhen Soern. Sokhen is a bright, hard working and caring 18 year old student who lives with her grandmother, mother and younger brother. Her father sadly passed away a month ago leaving her family distraught.

After class one afternoon, I went to meet her family in their village and to see where Sokhen lived. They lived in a dilapidated shack/bike shed which was very small. The bathroom was undersized and dull with a tiny sink and a hole for the toilet. They barely had a kitchen, outside of the house were a few pots a pans and a handmade fire. Sokhen slept in a room which she had outgrown with two thin dust sheets laid on the floor as a mattress.

As she showed me her mother’s bed, my eyes filled with tears and my heart sunk. She slept on a wooden plank for the last 45 years. I explained to Sokhen that we must go to the local market and get her a mattress, she agreed and off we went on her motor bike that her father had bought for her as a gift.

Sokhen's aim is to study English at university and complete her English Degree. Her family barely have any money to support themselves, her mother is a house wife and her father was the main breadwinner who supported the family solely. Her mother has unfortunately explained to Sokhen that it is now time for her to stop studying as they will never be able to fund her education. With whatever little money they have to feed themselves, has been saved by her grandmother.

Sokhen is not sure how she will be able to afford her university fees term by term, which is a continuous struggle for her. To help her with her education, I have bought her study books she requires for her 2nd year. However, Sokhen still needs her final year funded which consists of 5 terms calculating to a total of £1,000.

Please help me provide Sohken with a brighter start to her future by giving her the education she truly deserves. In the UK we are blessed enough to receive our education from the government free of charge or able to apply for student loans and bursaries. It is very clear this is not an option for Sokhen and her family. This will provide her the opportunity to escape poverty and give her an improved way of living.

It is sad that at times we all complain about the most minute things in life and yet these are the major life struggles that some families face on a daily basis. After this wonderful soulful experience, this trip has given me a much more deeper insight to life and that we must always be grateful for what we have.

To see this beautiful young lady happier, I’m sure will bring us all some joy.

Thank you for reading