Preye’s Story

“I have taught the members of my family to live better with a deep concern for one another.” Preye

In order to support sustainable development, cooperation with local communities and adaptation to the local circumstances is very important. Programmes such as Orisun aim at bettering a community’s environment by supporting the most marginalized groups such as young girls, whose families could never afford to pay for further education.

Preye is a beneficiary at Orisun and she explains how the programme did not only benefit her, but she can see the impact on her whole community:

“Most of us, teenage girls want to be able to give a better future to our families. That is why some have started trying to earn and save money with the skills acquired. In the suburb where I live, if a girl does not finish school, there may be no bright future for her as she will be unable to get a job and may end up in conditions that are worse.

Already some of the girls in my neighbourhood who did not finish school have been forced into early marriage. I really see myself with a bright future. I have to acknowledge the fact that the skills I have acquired through the activities in Orisun would not have been possible if not for this rare opportunity that the programme gives us. I am greatly indebted to Orisun for all its activities.”

Preye was able to apply what she learned not only for her later profession but immediately noticed how the skills she acquired increased her personal wellbeing:

“I have learnt how to go the extra mile to make meals more interesting at home, suggest more nutritious food items at home during meal preparations, take better care of cleaning, laundry etc.

My parents really appreciate how much I am able to show them at home. In fact, one day my mother called me to prepare home-made bread for my brother, who was coming home from school. I was happy to be entrusted with such responsibility. It shows she appreciates and trusts all that I have learnt from the programme.

The truth is that through the programme I have learnt family values and I have taught the members of my family to live better with a deep concern for one another.

My own parents and other parents that live in our suburb notice the difference among those of us that attend the activities in Orisun and those that don’t. I have introduced some of the girls in my area to activities as a means of helping more girls benefit from these activities