Sponsor a Family

The Chea family story tells the narrative of many families we serve. This is not the actual story of one family, but rather a representation of the many stories we encounter every day.

No parent should have to worry about whether to send his or her child to school. But, when faced with the lack of safe or consistent work opportunities and unpredictable weather patterns that make it nearly impossible to farm, the choice between food and education becomes a real one.

Although the Cheas are desperately poor (financially), they managed to send their two eldest children Sonthea and Thavy to elementary school. They did this by sacrificing anything they could, which meant that the parents sometimes went hungry to save money on food. Their father is a construction worker, but he can’t find employment every day and doesn’t earn enough to support the family. Their mother is responsible for earning some income while also caring for two small children. So, she washes clothes for people in the community and does whatever manual labor she can find.

When our social workers visited their house their mother told us that there was no way to make ends meet and that the only option they saw was to take Thavy and Sonthea out of school and send them to work as well. After a family assessment it was clear to Children’s Future social workers that the parents were extremely dedicated to their children’s education but had no way to support them. When we told them that their children could receive full support through Children’s Future’s programs, the entire family was thrilled that there was a way for the children to stay in school.

Just a few months later, the Cheas were hit with hard times again. Unrelenting monsoon storms tore their hut apart, leaving them homeless. So, we jumped into action.
Children’s Future provided materials for their father to rebuild a simple but more secure home, where they are safe from the heavy rains.

As we got to know the family better, the parents continued to impress us with their daily perseverance, so we hired their father as a security guard and their mother as a cook at our Learning Center.

Both Thavy and Sonthea have become star students at the Learning Center. Thavy, with her kind and loving personality, is a role model to the younger girls. She often motivates and counsels other students at group meetings. Sonthea is quite shy and reserved, but he’s at the top of his class in school.

The Cheas have often told us that without the support of Children’s Future, their children would be working in Thailand. Now they are able to strengthen their family bonds and act as valued role models within the community while their children forge a new future at school.

Help us ensure that families like the Cheas are safe, nourished, and able to support their children as they learn and grow.

$100/month
Individual families are not paired with individual sponsors as protecting the rights and dignity of students is of utmost important to us. We foster a model of group sponsorship and invite you to learn about individual students through newsletters, videos, and other sources. We thank you for understanding.