Menghun

In the 1970s, the Khmer Rouge soldiers killed two million people, a quarter of the population. The Khmer Rouge broke up families and destroyed schools. In the 1980s and 1990s, less than 5% of girls went to school. Only a quarter of high school students were girls. Even today, most girls are taken out of school to work in the rice fields and are married off at age 15 or 16. Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 2011 I am pleased to meet you. My name is Menghun Kaing. I am 22 years old. I am a fourth-year student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh. I come from Kandal province. My parents are farmers. I have two brothers and two sisters, and I am the youngest in my family. I grew up in a one-room hut without electricity or plumbing. When I was 12 years old, I thought I would become a farmer who would help my parents with farming. And I also thought that I would get married at a young age because in the countryside, alot of girls get married at age 15 or 16. But my parents always encouraged me to study. My mom told me that when she was young she had to give up her studies because she had to support her family. She did not want me to have the same experience. My parents sent me to school, and I studied until I finished high school. On my graduation exam, I got a good score. Then I received a scholarship to the Royal University of Phnom Penh. At the same time, I got accepted into the Harpswell Dormitory and Leadership Center for Women This Center provides free room and board to university women from rural areas. At the Center, I also received training courses such as seminars in leadership and in analyzing national and international news. This training helped me improve my critical thinking, which I think is a very important skill. It helps me to think critically and to be able to balance different points of view. In the future, I want to be a leader of Cambodia. I also hope to become a writer who could change the society and develop Cambodia as a whole. Thank you