At Flame we believe that it is not just what we are doing but who does it that is important. Many of our staff have already travelled the same journey that our clients are on. Who better to lead the way?
Introducing: Bin Vesna
WHAT IS YOUR JOB WITH FLAME?
I’m called Vesna and I’m a Case Coordinator. I encourage children and try to help their parents so the children can attend school.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR FLAME?
I have been working with Flame for 2 years.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
The best thing about my job is being able to give the children the tools they will need to provide for their families in the future. As a child, I was fortunate enough to have my school fees paid and now I can give that gift to other children.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
In my spare time, I enjoy going to the provinces. I find the mountains, forests and country air very relaxing.
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND/HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING FOR FLAME?
My family lives in Battambang. We didn’t struggle that much, but that’s because my parents worked very hard. My grandparents had money but my father didn’t want to ask them for help. Between Grade 7-11 my parents were always working in order to provide for us. The other kids could learn English or take extra classes, but I couldn’t as I had to go to the fields after school to help my parents. I really loved English but I never got the chance to study it.
I didn’t pass Grade 12 the first time so I decided to study that year again and passed. I felt hopeless that I couldn’t study English. It was the one thing that I really wanted to study. I came to Phnom Penh to study Accounting in University but when I finished my bachelor degree I needed to go back to my hometown to look after my younger sister who had some serious mental health issues.
My parents were not coping with her difficult behaviour so I became her full-time caregiver. Menea was 11 or 12 years old when I went to look after her. I cared for her for 4 years and in 2014, when she was 16 years old, my sister died. A year after Menea died I decided to come back to Phnom Penh to chase my dream again of studying English.
When I arrived and went to a church where I saw Sue, Flame’s founder. She recognised me and told me about Flame and the opportunity to study. I thought that it would be a great chance for me to study English … and now I am staying in the Flame Leadership Academy and I have been studying English for two years! I can’t believe it. This has been my dream for more than 15 years.
WHAT MESSAGE OR ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE?
There is a Cambodian proverb that has helped me: Even though a rock is hard, a constant drip of water can make a hole. To me, it means no problem is too hard to solve, as long as you take it day by day.