Seat's Story
When Seat was three years old, she lost both her parents. With nowhere else to turn, she and her brother were taken in by their elderly grandmother, who scraped together a living selling vegetables on the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Despite her age, she walked long distances daily carrying baskets of produce, determined to keep her grandchildren fed and safe.
But by the time Seat turned nine, the physical burden had become too much for her grandmother, who made the heart-wrenching decision to take Seat to the People Improvement Organization (PIO), a place that could offer what she no longer could: safety, food and education.
At PIO, which serves Cambodia’s most vulnerable children: orphans, street children, and those surviving in landfill communities, Seat received regular meals, school supplies, medical care, and most importantly, a chance to reclaim her future through a first-class education.
When Seat first arrived, she felt angry and abandoned. Just eight months later, however, she received devastating news: her beloved grandmother had died of blood cancer. The sorrow was compounded by guilt. “I hated her very much because she left us,” Seat admitted. Only then did she learn the truth: her grandmother had known she was dying and had sent Seat to PIO as her final act of love, to give her a chance at a better life.
It was a turning point.
Seat threw herself into her studies, determined to honor her grandmother’s sacrifice. She completed high school at PIO, then earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Vanda Institute, excelling in finance and English. Today, she works as an accountant at Cambodia Securities PLC, where she’s a full-time professional with the power to shape her own future.
For Seat, education was the bridge from grief to opportunity, taking her from the streets to a thriving career.
Today, you can give that same gift.
Help JustWorld provide education, safety and a brighter future for more children like Seat.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
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JustWorld International
Established in 2003, JustWorld International was created to connect equestrians with a direct way to help fracture the cycle of poverty through education, healthcare, and nutrition programs for children around the world. Thousands of Ambassadors from more than forty countries have since committed to “Ride for the Cause” and transform the lives of children through equestrian sport. Envisioning a more just world, the nonprofit organization cultivates strategic, project partnerships in a collaborative approach to impact the lives of nearly 10,000 children around the globe on a daily basis.
To donate, become an Ambassador, or learn more about JustWorld, please visit www.justworldinternational.org or @justworldinternational on Facebook and Instagram.
JustWorld International is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States and tax-deductible donations are accepted in the United States. JustWorld International has no political or religious affiliation.
