“Ngam Kimhut is one of our best friends in Cambodia. She is a 27 year old female who was born in Kampong Chnang province and currently resides away from her family, in Koh Kong. Here she works as an accountant at a local NGO called Morodok. That is how we got to know her.
In our village we have three foreigners living within a kilometer of each other. Two of us, Devin and Megan, are American Peace Corps volunteers, and the other is an Australian volunteer, Jenna. She works at Morodok. Jenna introduced us to Kim back in July 2014, right after Kim began her contract with Morodok, and we instantly became friends. We all get together almost every day to gossip, laugh at our inside jokes, go on long bike rides to the beach or the local swimming hole, or play sports.
Kim put herself through university in Svay Reing by volunteering at Aceleda bank, which eventually turned into a paying job. With her success she now helps support her family. In her free time Kim loves playing soccer, riding her bike, and reading [usually books about accounting].”
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| Kim, Jenna, Devin, and Megan in a traditional Khmer picture |
Kim took some time to answer some questions for the GenEq Committee. Here is what we learned from her answers:
Kim is a role model for gender equality in general, especially for the younger females at Morodok. She encourages and helps the younger girls to learn and teaches them how to act appropriately at work. Kim credits “scholarship and studying hard” for helping her to get where she is today. She worked part time as a cashier at Aceleda bank, where she was originally a volunteer. She sees her family maybe every 6 months.
Kim believes that “lack of gender equality and poor education” are the biggest issues facing Cambodia today. She had this to say about women and higher education: "I think more boys go to school than girls, especially for university, because they always have a place to stay, they can stay at the pagoda for free... but women always have to stay, they cannot live at the pagoda". Kim’s advice for the youth of Cambodia is to “always work hard and study hard because if you work hard, you will always reach a goal, and then maybe you can help other Cambodians and make the country stronger.” One thing that Kim loves about Cambodia is “how friendly the people are and how everyone can come together to help each other."
What does Kim like to do in her free time? In her own words: "I like to listen to English music. I really like Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry, and I like to play soccer and hang out with Devin, Megan, and Jenna! I like to read English books about accounting too."
Thank you Kim and Devin for taking the time to talk to us about gender equality!
