Teava’s mother abandoned her when she was just one year old, and her grandmother took her in. When Teava turned nine, her grandmother passed away. It was a terrible shock and deep pain for her — her grandmother had become like a mother.
After her grandmother’s death, she moved in with her uncle and his wife. They treated her well, and her uncle became like a father to her.
But when Teava turned 15, her uncle told her that she was now old enough to work and support herself. He found her a job as a waitress at a restaurant in Battambang. She moved to live with her aunt — working at the restaurant and spending the nights at her aunt’s house.
Teava shares:
“I felt fear and loneliness again. The uncertainty and emptiness were pressing down on me. I was once again in a different family, in someone else’s home. I cried for my grandmother, and when I looked at other children, I couldn’t forgive my mother for abandoning me. Why did she treat me so cruelly?”
As it turns out, Teava’s aunt’s husband is the brother of a social worker in our village. When the social worker heard her story, she came to us and asked if we could take Teava into our shelter.
That’s how she came to live with us.
Together with you, we can care for children like Teava.
Thank you for making that possible!
Ministry in Cambodia – Evgeny Evva