Mission to Cambodia 2012
from Susan Taplin

We are writing this blog from the group to let you know about a young woman we met in Battambang province.  Her name is Chhor Wan. She is 14 years old. She was a patient at the Handa Emergency Hospital which we visited while we were there.

This is her story: Chhor Wan has been living with her grandmother since she was five years old. Her parents divorced and her mother left her in her grandmother’s care.

Since that time, she has been working and going to school to help provide for herself and her grandmother. She raised $200 to construct the home where her father lived and where she is presently staying while he is away. It is a small, one-room home made of coconut leaves and without a door. We have attached a photo. There is no clean water and the floor is made of dirt.  Prior to that, she and her grandmother were living in the home of an uncle and his wife, but it was an abusive situation for years.

A few months ago, Chhor Wan quit school to work full-time at a factory where she had been working part-time. She was able to make three dollars a day there- very good pay in a Cambodian village. While working, her right arm was caught in the machine and she lost it from the shoulder down.  Although she was treated for free at the hospital in Battambang, she has a difficult situation ahead.

Her village is remote and the conditions are dangerous for such a young and impoverished girl in Cambodia. Because of the amputation, her prospects are slim if she does not have access to a good education and learn to use her left hand. Because of her past, she is likely to fall prey to predators and needs a nurturing environment where she get direction and guidance to help her overcome.

A group of Christians in Battambang are working to find her a place to live and a school to attend. The director of a Christian school offered to accept her if she can be tutored over the summer to catch up with English and some of her basic skills.

The church had a pot luck on Friday night and Chhor Wan was there so we all got to meet her and talk with her.  I shared photos of my family with her.  She shared photos of her family with me.  Her photos were not the actual people, but photos she took of old pictures of her Mom (mostly) and her sister.  She took pictures of herself holding a picture of her Mom next to her.  It just broke my heart to see the need and desire she has for her Mom, but she does not have that love and support.

When this tragic accident happened her concern was not about herself, but about who would care and provide for her grandmother. The factory has agreed to provide a small monthly stipend to help Chhor Wan and her grandmother, but it will not be sufficient to get Chhor Wan the help she will need to be self-sufficient in the future. Chhor Wan would like to use some of that to help her grandmother and has said she would be happy to move and attend school if she is given the opportunity.

We want to help this young girl immediately and over the long term. Her needs are: stipend for room and board near school ($130/month), bicycle ($35), money for English and basic skills tutor ($40/ month for three months), tuition (covered so far), money for a bed and some clothes ($60), laptop so she can do her work with one hand ($400).  As a group, we hope to be able to support Chhor Wan on a yearly basis. We have gathered some donations from the 12 of us that are here, but we ask that our loved ones at home pull together to help us meet our goal for this year and get her into a safe home.

If you want to help:   Checks (written to “Especially The Family Ltd.”) can be given to Susan Taplin. Especially The Family Ltd. is a US-Based 501c3 non-profit organization that sends funds to meet specific needs in the developing world without charging any fees (100% of your donation will reach Chhor Wan to meet the stated needs). Susan’s address is 110 Windham drive, Hendersonville TN 37075.

Thank you for all the love you’ve given us to help us through this trip. Please help us now in showing that love to our new friend.

Thanks so much for helping out!!!!