My Dream Fulfilled

I am 38 years old and I live with my five children.

In the past, whenever I encountered trouble I always thought of killing myself. That was the only solution I could think of.

My husband would drink and then he would become violent. He cursed me. He cursed my family.

He would invite his friends over to party and wouldn’t leave any food for the rest of us. Sometimes it would become too much and I would run away to my relatives’ house. No one was able to really care for us.

But one day it was just too much. So my five children and I fled to Phnom Penh. We didn’t know where we were going, we didn’t know anyone in the city, and we had no money. But we needed to escape.

A motor driver helped us find Hagar.

When I stepped into the shelter, I felt so happy. We had food. We were safe. We were free from violence. Hagar gave us education and training. They gave us healthcare and counseling.

I used to live under so much pressure. I was scared for such a long time, but now we live in peace and I have the right to make my own decisions.

My life today is so different from the past. Now I have my own business. I supply vegetables to Hagar Catering.

My children are all going to school and one of my daughters help me with the business. I have achieved my goals and dreams and I can stand on my own two feet.