On the 2nd of March, my exploration group visited NHCC organization which located in Kampong Speu province which its mission is to help those children who have HIV positive to have place to live, food to eat, place to learn and to have a better family where everyone is welcome.
All the children living in this organization are HIV positive. However, this place is where they can build themselves up to become the changer of their country.
We met Kathy, the founder of the organization. She took us around the campus and tell us stories in which it was a great time spent for learning the experience of people living with HIV.
The area was in a total 8 hectares. Students there were growing plants to sell to the middle men and to get money to buy what they wishing for.
"All children here, is raise to become bosses!" - Kathy
One of the story that affect me the most was to hear from a girl named Kolayan. She is a 14 year-old-girl which her birthday was on the 5th of February. I said a Happy Birthday to her and I can see how happy she is to hear it. I asked her a question, which I also asked her the permission to ask whether it is appropriate to ask or not and she said it okay and I can ask. Therefore, I asked her a question which was, “Do you afraid of your surrounding when you go back home to visit your family?” I was so shocked to hear her answer and she told me that. “I am not afraid anymore because I rarely visit my house and when I go home once in a while, people thinks that the HIV have gone from my body already, then they just don’t care and I also don’t really care about it as well because I think that just let what they thinks keep going and because I don’t think they need to know or analyse whether I am an HIV positive person or not .” Her words surprised me because my thought was that she going to said she afraid but she was telling me that she wasn’t at all and that’s what I want to hear because those positive words are what cheer those people up to be strong.
I believed these kids are strong and through helping them to learn to get good education, those kids will find their passion one day, in which they should know that they an important part for the country development.