Krian Sony
My name is Krian Sony. I was born on 5th June, 2002. I am a year three student majoring in Social Work at Royal University of Phnom Penh. My homeland was in Kampong Cham Province. I am from an extremely poor family of farmers. I am the second child of two children. My brother has gone to be a priest to continue his studies. In my village, if a boy wants to study, he has to become a priest to get an education, while girls are not so highly educated. As for girls, they most likely have to work in Phnom Penh serving others as a chef, taking care of others’ children, working in a factory, etc.
In 2000, my family was removed to live in the Battambong province because of their poverty condition. While we lived there, my parents were farming to sustain a daily meal and in order to get a tiny income via selling rice as well. When I was pursuing secondary school, my mother got sick and needed immediate surgery. While my mother was having surgery, I was about to take the high school exam at the province. At that time, my family situation was very tense and extremely miserable. I was so worried and I inquired to myself that, would I just drop out of school in order to find a way to get income to treat my mother or should I keep going? But my parents pushed and inspired me to pursue my education. My family returned back to live in Kampong Cham province, our homeland. high school.
Yet, after graduating high school, I had encountered another obstacle when I had a thought to study in a college but my parents could not afford it. Then I heard about a place which was recruiting students from various provinces in a dormitory to allow them to continue their studies in Phnom Penh. It also provided leadership training courses and social work, where we could contribute to help the needy in the community 
who were struggling and miserable. I was fascinated by this NGO which is named Advanced Centre for Empowerment (ACE).
ACE taught me how to live together with many people and to act as a leader in society. In the university, I study theory, while ACE gives me practice through volunteer work. I have determined and chosen social work as my major because I want to engage with the potential people who are willing to help, assist, aid, and develop the society to be great and glorious. Especially, I want to engage society via publishing valuable education to impact the local parents in order to encourage and push their children to keep studying in primary school, secondary school, high school, and college. I also want to contribute to influencing them to stop domestic violence, especially on children. Moreover, I want to transfer and share with the young generation and youth in Cambodia to be more aware and curious about their social problems. To influence them to participate in solving and developing the country to prosperity.
I want to give sincere and profound thanks to ACE which provides me love and pleasure in this kind of family.
advancedcentreforempowerment.org 