A Letter From Student KongNov

My name is KongNov and I am 14 years old. I would like to share my story with you and how PeopleStories is changing my life.
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We had a lot of difficult in my family such as my father is always drunk, so sometimes my mother just raising children on her own. Sometimes we don’t have money to buy food so we need to eat salt fish sauce prahok with rice. Sometime I picked up jujube from the ground to sell in the market to help my mum. There are young children in my village who were forced to work, and my sister also had to dropped out from study to help our family.

First time I met Victoria, she gave me important memories - a whiteboard! I am very happy because my dream is to have a whiteboard but my parents don’t have money to buy it and I want to be a teacher. I want to teach other children!

PeopleStories has been helping me for the last 3 years, helping me with many things, such as providing school supplies, bicycle, blackboards, memos, helping to pay extra tuition fees and also helping to ease the burden on my family.

The scholarship really mean a lot of to me! They are the key or the tools that help me learn and alleviate my family’s burdens. If there were no PeopleStories, my mother did not have enough money to give me enough education years.

I also think that the scholarships are helping my sister, my friends and many students in my village who are from poor family to study, give them power and the opportunity to go to places.

My life has changed a lot. I can gradually see clear about the world and the future. When I heard that I was selected for the Road to STEM scholarship, I felt very happy and excited. I don’t want to believe it! I think this scholarship will help change my life.

Imagine 5 years later, I can see myself achieve my job (professor), help PeopleStories as a member, and help children especially from poor families.

I have some advice to all students that please do not stop studying! If we stop studying, it is like being in the pit of darkness. If we quit school at a young age, we cannot do any work and have a life time of regrets, especially poor students. We must work hard to save our family. Get out of poverty as well as help out our children, the next generation. Remember knowledge is wealth!

Supporters to PeopleStories like you give me strength. Guide me on the path. I will be determined to learn as much as I can.

Thank you!
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KongNov