Kerm is a young, Cambodian teenager from a very poor family. The girl’s mother is the family’s sole breadwinner, while her father is an alcoholic.
Like many other impoverished teenagers around the world, Kerm planned to quit school to help her mother provide for their family. However, her mother encouraged the young girl to stay in school—which will open many more doors of opportunity for her in the future.
Rather than tell Kerm’s story, we’ve translated a message from the teenager just for you:
Here is Kerm’s story, in her own words:
My name is Kerm, I am 15 years old and I am in grade 8. I want to be a teacher, teaching both English and Khmer. I started school in the year of 2007.
I became a Christian 3 years ago. I have one sister and one brother and they also believe in Jesus, my parents do not. We go to church every Sunday.
My father is a construction worker and my mother is a basket weaver. My family is very poor and sometimes we don’t even have enough to eat. More than that, whenever my father drinks wine, he always hits my mother and also my sister and my brother. It happens almost every day, which makes my mother very upset.
Because we don’t have enough money, my mother forces herself to work as a construction worker. But even with that, there is still not enough. And my mother has to pay for my dad’s wine, because sometimes he doesn’t work.
Sometimes I cry because I feel very sorry for my family.
These are all the reasons that I had decided to quit school and find a job instead. But my mother encouraged me not to quit school. So I continue to go to school every day so that I can give my mother hope and make her happy.
However, even though my family is facing these hard times, I believe and trust that the Lord Jesus is always with me and that he helps me. He is my strength.
I won’t cry anymore and I will finish my high school and continue on to study in University so that I can get a good job, which I have always wanted. Then I will be able to support my family and support my siblings in their studies by trusting Jesus.
I believe and hope every day that my parents will become Christians one day. I also believe that my father will quit drinking and he will go back to work.
Jesus is my shepherd.
