Diary Entry: If They Can Smile, Why Can't We?

by Kemi Harahap


I met a little boy today.

His name is Kom Sang and he is only eleven months old. Even at such a young age, he showed an attraction to sound, dancing and laughing while three Australian girls were playing with a metal cup and pen. Once in a while, he would get distracted by the music that was played at the neighbouring primary school, his ears flickering to the source of the music.

His droopy eyes projected a melancholic gaze which reflected the abandonment by his parents. The baby's father was killed by landmines, while his mother died soon after with malaria. In the absence of his parents, a caring neighbour took him in when he was just 7 months old. Unfortunately, the neighbour could not afford to support him, and brought him to the Sunrise Children's Village.

Little Kom Sang

I did a little research today and found that there are an estimated number of 570,000 orphans in Cambodia. Young children just like Kom Sang are left alone, as their parents become victims of landmines, diseases, and poverty. However, it is fortunate that organizations similar to Sunrise Children's Village (SCV) and Life and Hope Association (LHA) are doing their best to support them.

Linda, Miriam, Aron, Su-Lyn and I decided to visit SCV, an orphanage only several walks away from our guest house by the riverbank. It is there that I met Kom Sang with his cheerful smile and baby teeth, giggling away with glee to the beat of the music. Apparently there are about 20 orphanages in Siem Reap itself, and the SCV receives donations from the Australian Cambodian Foundation Inc. Aside from school, the children attend extracurricular dance classes, English classes and computer classes.

Sunrise Children's Village

SVC can be seen as a successful case, as a number of orphans that have reached adulthood are able to be sent outside Siem Reap to continue university. Two are studying in Phnom Penh, while one received a sponsorship to study in Australia. The children's English is also shockingly fluent. I am in awe by this fact, as this shows that there must be a large number of people who have spent their time and money to care for these orphans.

Besides visiting SCV, the eighteen of us visited Life and Hope Association (LHA) this morning. We were welcomed by Than and Y Nol, the association's program coordinator and monk turned English and Computer teacher. They shared their stories on the projects done by LHA, where they teach the orphans skills such as sewing in addition to building a school for them. In the session, Than and Y Nol emphasizes their focus on helping girls, as they mentioned that the Cambodian society structure makes it harder for girls to get jobs without any skills.

Throughout the entire session, soulful prayers were echoing in the distance. Than and Y Nol explained it to be a prayer for the dead, as a funeral was taking place within the complex. The somber and hypnotizing prayers were accompanied by the gloomy morning weather, and within moments I found myself trapped in a trance.

To let you in on a personal story, I was going through an odd and awkward time just before I left for Cambodia, as the father of my boyfriend passed away with cancer. What I felt was almost indescribable, and the event had pulled me closer to the mysteries of life and death. Even if I was not part of their family, I experienced deep sorrow and regret. I found myself questioning death; why it comes and goes so unexpectedly, and most importantly, how would the ones left behind cope to survive in such a situation.

After the session at LHA and visiting SCV, I found that there are orphans in this world that are left in even more difficult situations, such as Kom Sang, who did not even get to have the luxury of remembering what kind of persons his parents were. Even the girls from LHA are brought in to avoid being trapped from child prostitution and slavery. We are not only lucky to have our parents, we are also lucky to be pampered and spoiled. We are fortunate enough to travel to Cambodia, to attend a fully facilitated school, to have a shelter and to have sufficient food.

To see that the children can find happiness even in such difficult situations is empowering, and hopefully the thought of all the smiles on the faces of the children who we have brought toys and snacks for can help us survive the remaining days in Siem Reap. Interacting with the children of SCV and meeting with the Monks of LHA gave me a chance to reflect on what I had been feeling a week before.

If they can smile, why can't we? Let's take a moment to count our blessings.