Can you please introduce yourself?
Jum Reap Suor. My name is Narla Phay, I
am 32 years old and I was the first scholarship student to
graduate from JWOC’s Scholarship program.
What was your life like before you got
JWOC Scholarship?
Well, I moved to Siem Reap 13 years ago
to continue my education and degree at university. For the first two years my
parents paid for my school tuition, but at the end of the second year they ran
out of money which threatened my place, I was ready to drop out. 'My
parents had borrowed money from their neighbors at 120% interest rate to pay
for my education, in the countryside you have no choice'; we were struggling to repay! Looking
back, I was very lucky as I was such an awful farmer, my parents saw no
potential for me helping in the rice fields! However, my family earned a really
small amount of money so if you send one kid to college then the other family
members will have no education or medical care – they really sacrificed a lot
for me!
How did you get your JWOC Scholarship?
At the time, I was working for the
tourist police in the Siem Reap to help cover my everyday expenses and one day
JWOC co-founder Brandon Ross came to my office as one of his guests needed a
police report to claim a new airline ticket. We got talking and I told him
about my situation and how I was struggling, so we exchanged numbers, and then
two weeks later I came to interview for a job at Journeys Within Boutique and for the first class of scholarship students! I started my new job at the hotel
front desk on April 20, 2006.
Can you describe what it was like when
you first started at JWOC?
At the beginning it was just the three
of us (Managing Director, John Walsh; Narla and Brandon Ross) working
together on the projects, it was tough! At that time I was attending school and
as JWOC was only a few months old at the time the projects were just being set
up and we were learning the community’s needs.
My first volunteering project was the
Clean Water program (the original JWOC project), but I soon became
involved in the Microfinance program as one of the co-founders, working with
Brandon Ross we were one of the first organisations in Siem Reap to offer loans
to poorer people. We didn’t have our own office or the Community Center at that
time either so we had to share an office with the tour company inside the
hotel.
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| The first JWOC Scholarship Students; Narla is second on the left |
What was it like volunteering for the
Microfinance project?
We gave out small loans to borrowers
that wanted to create a business or expand their current one. At the beginning
we would go out and interview future borrowers in the local village near JWOC
to find out what they would do with the money, how the business would work and
discuss the risks involved. This was all new to me and Brandon, but we’d spoken
to the community and they had told us that this is what they needed to help
them and their families. Every Friday I was in charge of going out to collect
the loans, everyone always paid back on time!
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| Narla collecting loans for the Microfinance program |
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| Narla with a newly installed well and family |
I remember one woman, she had HIV, she
had three children and her husband had died; she sold drinks on the street and
never expected anyone to give her a loan – in Cambodia if you don’t have any
collateral then you won’t get anything. But I remember her crying when we decided
to give her a loan and 'it was that opportunity that totally changed her life. It made
the volunteering all worth it – knowing you were really helping your community.'
What has your life been like after
graduating from JWOC?
JWOC’s Scholarship program has totally
changed my life; I was about to drop out of school and my parents were in a lot
of debt. After graduating I now work full time
with Journeys Within Tour Company as Tour Concierge and
Customer Service Director after being promoted. I was also able
to repay my mum’s loans that helped to pay for my early education and then help
my brother move from my hometown to Siem Reap. On top of this I’ve managed to
now save to buy a piece of land and to have my own car – all of this because of
the opportunities given to me by JWOC.
What's your connection with JWOC today?
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| Narla attends JWOC's 10th Anniversary Party |
Even after I graduated I still want to
be a part of it all so I am now on the JWOC board as an ‘in-country’ advisor. I
work closely with staff in Cambodia as well as the board in the states to make
sure that decisions made will benefit the local community. I now use my
position within the tour company to tell people about my story and introduce
them to JWOC. It’s my hope that through this story guests will see the impact
that JWOC has had on my community and want to support others that were in my
position. I also use my position to help inspire other young Cambodians to
fulfill their potential, as Brandon and Andrea allowed me to.
I would like to say thank you to JWOC and its supporters for giving me the opportunity, which means so much to me – without JWOC I wouldn’t be sat here talking to you. I would most likely be working in a rice field in my home province without an education and the knowledge to pass down to my children and their children. I think I will have a bright future; in fact, I know I will. Thank you!
I would like to say thank you to JWOC and its supporters for giving me the opportunity, which means so much to me – without JWOC I wouldn’t be sat here talking to you. I would most likely be working in a rice field in my home province without an education and the knowledge to pass down to my children and their children. I think I will have a bright future; in fact, I know I will. Thank you!
