IT is not easy for a visitor from Cambodia to come to Australia – but thanks to a petition signed by 180 Balingup locals, one young Cambodian woman got to do just that.
Sophanna Paeng of Phnom Penh returned home last week after a holiday in Balingup, staying with local Wendy Trow, where she found plenty of inspiration and ideas to take home to her community.
Ms Trow said she met Sophanna when she was on her aide volunteer work in Cambodia, and they worked at the same Non-Government Organisation (NGO). Ms Paeng became Ms Trow’s language teacher.
“A couple of friends who visited and myself all decided to see if we could get her over here,” Ms Trow said. “It was a bit complicated getting her through the Department of Immigration, but the second application was successful after 180 people from Balingup signed a petition that they wanted her to come here.”
Ms Paeng said she comes from the countryside, but lives in the city.
During the Khmer Rouge, her mother was relocated to the countryside, along with many others from the city. The Khmer Rouge then arranged a marriage for her with a farmer, as part of a policy that discouraged anyone from pursuing an education.
Later, Ms Paeng’s mother decided to study nursing in the city while her father remained in the countryside to pay for her accommodation. Both parents worked very hard to send their children to school, but there was no money for university.
Ms Paeng said she spent time working in a factory for $50 a month.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to visit Australia or the opportunity to go to university,” she said.
“Then my brother found work with good pay. He stopped me working in the factory and sent me to study in the university.”
Ms Paeng said her first day at university was really exciting. She studied a Bachelor of Law, but then found it very hard to find a job.
“I would work for one or two years, then finish the project – I was not lucky with work,” she said.
Fortunately she then found an internship with a local NGO. Just two months later, Ms Trow arrived. Ms Paeng taught her Cambodian and they became best friends. The pair worked together to set up a program where the NGO provided parents with a loan to set themselves up with an income and send their children to school.
“They focus on education and health,” Ms Trow said.
“Her job is to provide loans to very poor people to spend on chickens and pigs, then they can derive an income to send their children to school. It was there we met, I helped her with reports and things, and she helped me with language.”
Ms Paeng said she had had a wonderful time on her holiday in Australia, where everybody was very friendly.
She learned how to make jewellery at Balingup business Mistigems, a skill she planned to take home with her. “When I go back to Cambodia, I want to find an organisation where I can teach the children how to make jewellery,” she said.
“Wendy’s sister showed me how to embroider, and Wendy took me to the Medieval Carnival workspace. It was really interesting.”
After seeing how people volunteered, including some who were older and suffering illness, she was inspired to go back to her village and motivate people to have the confidence to get involved in things.
She was also inspired by the idea of events. “I want my workplace to be sustainable,” she said. “I want take this idea to tell them how to raise money with events and things – and encourage people not to just sit around all day feeling sorry for themselves when they’re not working, but to get together and do things.”
Ms Paeng said she had gained a lot of confidence in talking with people during her stay in Australia.
“I want to have my own company with touring, I like talking with people,” she said. “I can learn from different people who want to know about our culture.”
She was also excited by the amount of nature and trees she found everywhere she went.
“Everywhere there are trees and good roads and something natural,” she said.
“In Cambodia we don’t have the ocean. I really love to swim on the ocean.”
Ms Trow said Phnom Penh was a crazy city, and very different to the wide open spaces found in WA.
“Cambodia is about the same size as Tasmania, but they’ve got 16 million people in that space,” she said.
Ms Trow said if people were thinking about going to Cambodia, they could contact Sophanna or herself and they would make sure they were looked after.
“She is really interested in looking into Tourism, so she can get them organised,” Ms Trow said.
On her next visit to Cambodia, Ms Trow said she would run a first aid course in Ms Paeng’s village, as well as a course on how to treat snake bite.
"If anyone has any old bandages, please contact me at brookview@wn.com.au,” she said.
