You Gave This 11-Year-Old Boy Shelter and an Education
Your support helped 11-year-old Meth Mao receive the shelter and support he needed to succeed in school.
In 2012, we honored Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon with the 2012 Humanitarian Award and gave him funding to advance his work for children in Cambodia. He used our funding to provide educational materials for disadvantaged children in Cambodia through his program, Krousar Thmey.
So far, Benoît has used our funding to impact the lives of more than 2,500 children. Meet Meth Mao, just one of the children who was impacted by your support.
Growing Up on the Streets
Meth Mao was born in the small village of Thmey in Cambodia. Determined to escape poverty, Mao’s parents decided to move to Phnom Penh when Mao was only 7 years old. However, it wasn’t long before Mao and his family were forced to live on the street, collecting rubbish to survive. With nowhere to live and no family to house them, Mao and his family were forced to live on the streets for two years. Mao quickly became malnourished, suffered from a lack of hygiene, and was often threatened and beaten up by gangs.
Getting an Education
Educators at Krousar Thmey – the nonprofit run by 2012 Honoree Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon – found Mao on the street and convinced him to start coming to school. At first, he had trouble sticking to set times and understanding the importance of school. But he was relieved to be able to wash, eat as much as he wanted, wear clean clothes and receive medical care.
Today’s Impact
Today, Mao lives with his aunt in his home village and is in his fourth year at Ang Daun Tep primary school. Krousar Thmey educators meet with him every month to monitor his schooling and provide school materials and a new uniform.
You can make an impact in the lives of children like Meth Mao. 100% of every donation directly supports programs run by our Honorees: Join the 12×12 Program