YCSCO Co-Founders Our Story
Your Cambodian street children organization (YCSCO) is a Cambodian Non -Governmental Organization. It was established in October 2007. The purposes to establish an NGO are to motivate donors, to assist the Cambodian government and to provide a means to save vulnerable street children. As well as to help in the reduction of poverty and provide strong support to the local Cambodian communities.
YCSCO/PRESIDENT Sorn Lorn :
My name is Sorn Lorn, I was born in Phnom Penh. I have been through many things in my life. You could say I have seen it all, the good, the bad and the ugly. My experience in life has taught me many things, to never give up and to never lose hope. I wanted to be a role model for the younger generations to come and to inspire them to live out their dreams, and work hard for their future.
I have witness the suffering of the Cambodian children and community first hand, I have also faced harsh circumstance in my self so I know how it feels to have sleepless nights of hunger and pain both mentally and physically.
I have told my self, I won’t allow any one to suffer the way I did, I will try my best to help the street children off the streets and in to schools for a better future. I will help to be apart of their lives, providing shelter, food, water, safety, education, training and family love.
Throughout my life I have been volunteering in many NGO helping street kids and orphans to gain sight into a better future, better life, and to become a better person. I have studied Japanese for 4 years from NGO who gave me the skill to teach foreign language to disadvantage kids and people.
When I see them learning, smiling, eating, sleeping, and playing, I see in them the love and comforts they never receive before. It was not until I met Miss Rom Him and Miss Maily Duong who inspired me to start Your Cambodian Street Children Organization to help rescue more of the 19,000 street kids and orphans roaming in Cambodia. Together, we share the passion, the love, and the hard works we had put in to create YCSCO as a new home and beginning for many kids.
USA Executive director : Miss Rom Him:
My name is Rom Him. I was born in Thailand and raised in United States of America as a Cambodian American since the age of 2 years. Living in the largest Khmer community in the United States, Long Beach, California, I have learned the history of Khmer, cultures, traditions, and values through my family, friends, and role models. Even though I can only speak the language but the respect, heritage and Khmer prides are fully absorbed in me.
I have never visited Cambodia but i have heard and seen the pity stories and images of many poor and disadvantaged people in Cambodia. Each day they wake up early before the sunrise and start their day as a seller, a farmer, a beggar, a trash digger, or a poor worker. I realize that these people have missed out on the chance to receive the simple needs in life such as education; the highly respected skills and knowledge everyone need to gain a better life.
I don’t need to go to Cambodia to know how they live their life. Just witnessing some American here who are poor is enough for me, just the thought of the hardship of disadvantage people in Cambodia really makes my heart ache. i think to my self, If living here in United States cans can be at times a struggle, well imagine Cambodia!
To prevent this, education is the key for a better quality of life and we need to start with kids. Kids are a countries future. There are many abandoned kids walking around in Cambodia as I have seen in the news. But how can I help, I ask myself? The only thing I can do is make a donation , a few dollars of mine to them, but I want to do more.
I have always had the passion to help others and to see and hear many pitiful and sorrow stories of the future generation kids, my heart break even more. I thought I couldn’t help much because I am far, but when I knew YCSCO president, Mr Sorn Lorn and Australian vice president Miss Maily Duong, who have inspired me to make my dream a reality, we started to work really hard to bring in new home and hope for the children.
Australian Executive Director: Miss Maily Duong:
My name is Maily Duong. I am an Australian born Cambodian. So all I have known all my life is the great land of Australia. However I was taught at a very young age to never forget my roots, I still carry my Cambodian heritage with pride and honor, even though I am unable to write in the Khmer but I can speak and try my very best to up hold my cultural traditions.
I have been back to Cambodia twice now; both of my visits have been unforgettable with both happy and sad memories. I think it must have been the biggest reality shock, I knew that Cambodia was a third world country which was struggling to find its feet after years of devastating conflict. But I it hadn’t hit home till I arrived in Phnom Penh.
I got to witness with my own two eyes the suffering of the Cambodian people; the most important thing that really broke my heart was to see young children in pain and poverty. I have never let my self forget the image of a begging child or the grandmother begging for a warm meal. My heart felt a deep sharp pain, I had told my self at the age of 15 years old that I will come back to Cambodia and help these children and the Cambodian community.
Though I hadn’t known who these people were, in my heart they were my family, my little bother, sister, mother, father, uncle, aunty, grand mother and grand father. They didn’t have to be blood related for me to feel a connection just being Cambodian was enough. To see them suffer was like seeing a family member in need of help; this was why I felt so strongly about helping the Khmer community.
I had felt lost; I didn’t know how I could help; I always thought that I was too young, what can I do? However I did volunteer in several programs to help the Cambodian orphans. Now I’m 20 years old and for the first time I felt, that I can achieve my dreams of helping my fellow Cambodians. I have searched for an organization which shared the same goals and objectives as me.
It was only when I met the YCSCO president Mr. Sorn Lorn and secretary Miss Rom Him when I realized that I was able to do something about my dream and able to finally help these children. All three of us shared the same passion and dreams; this was one of the reasons why we all decided to form a international non-profit organization called “YOUR CAMBODIAN STREET CHILDREN ORGANIZATION where our mission is to make a difference”
