01:    Scholar’s profile

My name is KEAT LIKA; I am 14 years old. I study at M1 in ROLUS Lower Secondary School, which locates in TEUK CHHUO district, Kampot province; it is about 6.7km form her home.

I have  5 siblings, 3 females and 2 males and I am the  youngest; my mother passed away when I was 4 years old and my  father got new wife and abandoned the children. My mother’ relatives, seeing such situation, adopted me and my brothers and sisters; we have lived separately.

02: KEAT LIKA’s own family

I have two elder brothers and two elder sisters.  

My brother has worked hard to get income; he usually sends some money to me and my brother and sister who still study.  

03: KEAT LIKA’s Situation

 I have lived with my uncle and aunt’s family Mr. HENG LOM and Mrs. SENG CHIM; my uncle is 56 years old and aunt is 63 years old. They have six children; four of them married and other two are single and work at garment factory.  My aunt’ s family has half hectare of rice farmland, which the cultivation can be made only one time a year with un-husked rice yield of 1,250kg; this product could support the family only 6 months with 6 persons, thus they have to do plantation such as sugar can on small farmland behind their home and with small support of 200,000 Riel (U$50) from their 2 daughters that work at the garment factory; this amount is for managing the daily living condition. 

I have also involved in finding money to support the family; I during cultivating season, worked at the farm when school holiday, but the working period was too short, about 10 days and the daily income was 5,000 Riel (U$1.25); and during harvesting season, I could work only 4 times, and one time I got 12,000Riels (U$3) as income. I, after cultivating and harvesting seasons, have done house work such as cooking, looking brother and sister “cousins”, take water from the well, washing dresses, thresh rice and so on.

04:    KEAT LIKA’s Education and Desire

I have strong intention in education; I want to study until completion and I want to be a teacher of lower secondary school in my commune. I like to study and I want to study English, too; at school, there is an English lesson program, but only 3 hours a week. I want to English private class that will be begun after school hours, but I do not have money to pay; it is 10,00Riel (U$2.50) a month.  .

05: Uncle and Aunt’s Desire

I and my wife have never forced LIKA to work for income; we have pushed her to study hard. We wish her to study until graduation, but we could not know for sure it is possible or impossible due to our living condition.