One of CUSP’s goals is that our graduates would be able to give back to their community. I’d like to share a story about a CUSP graduate, Tann Pean, who did that for her niece Lysean. Here they are pictured together.
The story begins while Pean was a student at Don Bosco vocational school. Her sister Sreynouk had become pregnant and was going to have an abortion because she couldn’t afford another child (Both Bess and I have been handed babies in rural villages by mothers who wanted us to take them because of similar extreme poverty). One of Pean’s teachers, Sister Leeza, recommended that Pean raise her sister’s unborn baby. Here is Pean with Sister Leeza and another student.
Pean, her mother, and sister decided that Sreynouk’s baby would eventually come and live with Pean in Phnom Penh. After Lysean was born she lived for an initial time with Pean’s mom in the village, then came to live with Pean in Phnom Penh.
Raising a young child in Phnom Penh, far away from immediate family and going to school at the same time seemed like an impossible task for Pean. But her fellow CUSP students, Don Bosco vocational school and the Catholic nuns all helped to make the impossible possible for Pean and Lysean.
Lysean is now 11 years old. Lysean’s mother, Sreynouk, still lives in northern Cambodia in the same rural village. Here is Lysean visiting with her mother and brother.
Lysean has grown up very energic and has some surprising skills as we shall soon see.
Lysean starts elementary school at 6:40 in the morning. There are 60 students in her class.
She also studies English in the afternoon at a nearby church from 1- 5pm.
Here is the big surprise. Lysean has an ear for learning a foreign language. Even though Lysean is only 11 years old and in elementary school, her English is quite amazing. On Tuesday I teach an English Class to CUSP college students on zoom. I have used her in my class on Tuesday mornings with college age students because of her ability. If you would like to join the class and meet Lysean, just let me know.
Pictured below is a group of CUSP students gathered for a meeting with our Cambodian director, Dr. Yaren. On the right is Lysean sitting on Pean’s knee.
Pean has reached back to her rural village to give Lysean a hand-up with the help of her family and her Phnom Penh community. This is pure joy. You can read more about Tann Pean’s story in a previous blog post.