Meet the CCT Children
Koun Toul
Kuon is one of CCT’s newest members. He is an incredibly sweet boy with a smile that will melt your heart. He loves art and is arguably the best ‘dragon drawer’ in the house - just ask him! He is very polite but loves to joke around and he has some killer dance moves that he likes to break out whenever a mobile phone rings.
Koun has been left pretty much on his own most of his life and so is loving life at CCT, having been swallowed up into a giant family straight away! He made friends instantly and is very popular at the CCT house. He is taking English, art and dance classes at CCT and is very excited about starting school when the next semester begins.
Pia Samsok
Pia is a sunny, jovial young teen with a bright, affable smile. He is living in CCT’s new Boys Transition Home.
Pia is a good student and his grades are consistently impressive. He loves to pull apart toy cars and put them back together; he is very good with his hands and enjoys making model planes, cars and houses. His drawing and painting skills are developing, and they are creative outlets that he has enthusiastically embraced. He heartily enjoys all of CCT’s activities and is already excelling as a talented soccer player.
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Nga Koe
Nga is a beautiful girl with a warmth and vivaciousness about her that is rare among people who have lived through similar hardships.
Nga is a very funny girl! She will share a joke with everyone she meets and really gives the boys a run for their money. She’s very affectionate and is always laughing, making her an extremely popular member of CCT. She shares a particularly strong bond with May, Nite and Nyeit. She relishes her Apsara dance lessons and loves to perform the routines with the other girls. She has chosen to begin sewing training, which is progressing well. Following her initial training she hopes to take an apprenticeship with a dress maker, as she dreams of one day making dresses for Cambodian ‘super-stars'
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Sot Sai
Sot Sai is exceptionally intelligent, articulate and mature for his age. He is in third grade at the local public school, where his favourite subject is math. He achieves outstanding results at school, despite facing some serious health issues. He is always positive and keeps up with the other kids; his favourite game to play with them is one-legged tag. Like all the boys at CCT, he is mad about Ben 10 and loves drawing pictures of him to hang on his wall.
He is an honest, loyal and trustworthy little guy with a big heart.
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Mi Nia
Mi Nia is sharp and outgoing. He excels at almost everything he sets his mind to, but remains very humble. While he is responsible, reliable and very mature, he still loves to laugh, kick up his heels and have a good time!
He is a conscientious student, and always makes sure he has his homework finished on time. He loves to study maths and wants to be a maths teacher when he grows up.
He loves football, and particularly enjoyed watching the World Cup with the older boys and his house father.
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Dar Sok
Dar is friendly, outgoing and sociable. From the moment she arrived at CCT she fitted in as if she had been with us her whole life. She loves going on outings and is thoroughly enjoying studying - for the first time in her life - at CCT and the local Khmer School. She has recently moved up two rankings at school, where her favourite subject is maths.
Dar loves to play with paper dolls with her best friends at CCT, Sroh and Somnung, and she loves braiding hair. In her free time she likes to play ‘elastics’, which the kids have made themselves by collecting elastic bands and tying them all together. She is a gentle soul, always taking care of the younger children, sharing everything she has without being asked, and is always polite and considerate.
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Gontia Sok
Gontia is shy, sweet and gentle and makes friends very easily. She loves going to school, both for the opportunity to learn to read and write as well as to spend time with her friends.
Gontia faces some health challenges, but she is a resilient young girl who chooses to look beyond them. She is incredibly kind and selfless; always going out of her way to make sure those around her are okay. She has a tremendously close bond with her younger sister, Dar, and often makes paper crafts or draws pictures to give to her as gifts to make her smile. Gontia is a strong hearted girl who never ceases to amaze us.
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Mom Meah
Mom, 22, is a responsible and kind young woman with a gentle and caring nature. She has been a mother to her younger siblings and now, as the oldest member of CCT, she takes on that same motherly role with all the children. She has had the responsibilities of an adult placed on her since she was a young child and therefore has never had the chance to attend school. Now at CCT, she is excited to have the opportunity to learn to read and write and receive vocational training.
Mom is currently living in Phnom Penh with Sinet where she has just completed a culinary training course. She is now set to start an English language course, which is something she is very excited about.
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Bisal Meah
Bisal has the biggest, brightest smile we’ve ever seen. He’s a kind-hearted, charming and calm-natured little guy who adores his older sister Bisay. He has a double cowlick which gives him a very groovy, natural mohawk that suits his quirky little personality very well.
His grades at school are consistently good and he is usually ranked in the top 5 students in his class, his favourite subject at school is Khmer because they “get to read a lot of stories” and because when he grows up he wants to be a Khmer teacher (or maths teacher - depending upon which day you ask him). He gets along fantastically with all the kids at CCT, however his best friends are Taip and his older sister Bisay. Jedtha describes Taip and Bisal as being like “old men,” when asked what that means he replied that he often sees them meticulously cleaning their rooms even when it is not their turn on the roster, taking great care to make sure that everything is neat and in its place!
He loves Ben 10, like all the boys at CCT, and would watch the DVD every day if he could. He also loves playing football and volleyball.
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Bisay Meah
Bisay has a spark and zest for life that is shining through more every day. She is mature and nurturing of her younger brother Bisal and the other younger children at CCT. She has a great sense of humour and loves to clown around.
She is loving her lessons in Apsara dance (she dances beautifully), and is always enthusiastic to perform with the other girls. She's a diligent student and takes her studies very seriously. Her English too is continuing to improve, although she is shy to practice it aloud. Her teachers at school are very impressed with her progress over the past several months, as is everyone at CCT.
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Kai Meah
Kai is a shy young man with loads of potential. He’s a naturally talented athlete and is already picking up some quite complex soccer skills.
He is incredibly responsible and studies hard, making sure to have all his homework completed on time. He is very enthusiastic about art, music classes and Apsara dancing. He now takes art lessons everyday and he is turning into quite an artist! He is very good with his hands and like many of the other boys, loves to make model planes, cars and houses.
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May Meah
May is gentle, loving and kind to her siblings and all of the children, staff and visitors to CCT alike. May is adored by all the other kids at CCT, especially the younger ones, who she always has time for.
She is a great sharer of whatever she has, from pencils and toys to fruit and sweets, she always offers whatever it might be to the others before she takes any for herself.
She loves to giggle and have fun with the other young girls. Her keen intelligence and diligent attitude to study will no doubt lead her to a very bright future
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Siumay Meah
Siumay is a cheerful, sweet and playful little character. She’s very affectionate and has a close relationship with her other siblings living at CCT.
She loves hugs, dressing up in pretty pink dresses, making beaded bracelets, having her photo taken, braiding hair, and making paper-craft butterflies and flowers to hang on her wall and to give away as gifts.
She does well at school and studies hard, always making sure her homework is completed on time and her teachers often mention her polite behaviour. Her English is also improving and she loves to practice it with any visitors to CCT.
She is studying Apsara dancing at CCT, and longs for the day when she can perform with the older girls. When they perform their dances Siumay can always be found watching them from the front row with a big smile on her face. She takes care of all the younger kids at CCT, and always shares everything she has.
She is little for her age but what she lacks in size she makes up for with her vivacious spirit.
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Nite Eng
Nite is insightful and mature beyond her years. Despite the hardships she faced before arriving at CCT, she has an optimistic outlook on life.
Although only attending school for the first time in her life when she arrived at CCT her intelligence and natural aptitude for learning has seen her excel academically. Nite is continually ranked in the top two students in her grade level. She loves school and is digigent about doing her homework and completing all her studies.
Her exceptional social skills enabled her to adjust to life at CCT with remarkable speed and ease. Within the first day of arriving she had already found some new best friends in Nyeit and Tou.
She loves to cook and can often be found in the kitchen helping to prepare the kid's meals or watching to see how it is done. She is incredibly kind and thoughtful and is great with the younger children at CCT. She is a beautiful Apsara dancer and relishes performing with the other girls.
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Nyeit Nhem
Nyeit arrived at CCT with her youngest brother Hai. She is a very pretty, sweet-natured girl who is sensible, mature and always helping to look out for her three younger brothers.
She had never attended school before coming to CCT but is now ranked at the top of her grade. She has a natural willingness to learn English and is very committed to the extra private Khmer Literature tutoring she receives at CCT. This is helping her to progress quickly through the school grades in order to catch up to the grade appropriate for her age. She’s smart and is learning very quickly!
She is a beautiful Apsara dancer and relishes performing with the other girls. She is very popular amongst the kids at CCT, and was recently voted ‘head girl’ when the kids held elections last month. It is a responsibility that she has taken on well and her house mother and father at CCT are very impressed by her leadership skills.
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Hing Nhem
Hing is a charming boy who is very mature for his age. He is very popular amongst the children at CCT and was voted the 'boy house leader' by the other kids. He has taken on the responsibility well, and his house mother and father at CCT are very proud of his leadership skills
He is a talented artist who has amassed quite a spectacular collection of drawings of dragons and other characters from Khmer mythology. He’s mad about the cartoon Ben Ten and his artwoks often reflect this passion.
He loves football, and especially loved watching the World Cup. He loves to wrestle, as long as his opponent is smaller than him. His schooling is progressing well, and he is moving up in class rankings as the months go by. He is also studying Apsara dancing at CCT and is really quite impressive. He is enthusiastic about his lessons and loves to perform with the other kids. When it comes to Western music, he is a groovy dancer with moves that would Justin Timberlake to shame!
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Heang Nhem
Heang is one of CCT’s biggest characters! He is bright, helpful and charming and never fails to win the hearts of CCT’s visitors. He is wise beyond his years and is often found sitting around with the adults having a good old yarn about life …and aeroplanes.
Heang is not academically minded, but is passionate about many other things, one of which is aviation. He tells Tara often how much he looks forward to the day he’ll be able to fly her to and from Australia. He is also very keen on horses since the day Tara took him for a ride, and hasn’t given up asking for a pony, or at least a puppy.
He loves to draw and give the pictures out as presents, however he is also renowned for putting his name on any of the other kids pictures he thinks are good and giving them out too!
Heang loves going to school, but once he is in the classroom he finds it difficult to concentrate. He is studying in the 1st grade at the local public school, and is quite a mischievous student, he loves to try and slip out of the classroom when the teacher turns his back! That said, he is very well behaved at CCT and follows instructions well. He takes great care of the younger kids, especially his little brother Hai.
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Hai Nhem
Hai is only a tiny thing but he is very independent and will keep up with any game the other kids play. He knows his manners and shouts “THANK YOU” like a soldier to make sure you’ve heard him. He loves swimming and playing with the dogs but most of all he loves spending time with his older brothers and sister who he had missed for so long.
He is studying in the first grade at the local public school, which he loves, especially the oppportunity to spend time with his school friends. But his best friend is his older brother Heang.
Hai is crazy about Ben 10 (like all of the boys at CCT). He also loves picture books, his favourite being the Toy Story book. He likes to show visitors to CCT how he knows all the names of the different characters and is always copying the pictures down into his notebook.
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Sinet Chan
Sinet wakes up every morning and looks forward to being one step closer to fulfilling her dream of becoming a Lawyer. Sinet started school at eleven but because of her diligent and conscientious attitude has excelled in her studies. For someone who couldn’t read or write before age eleven, Sinet has become an astoundingly avid reader. In fact, there is not a single Khmer novel in the library or bookshop that she hasn’t read. Her love of books stems from her thirst for knowledge. The library is her sanctuary where she’s spent countless hours reading, tidying and caring for the books.
She’s a huge fan of the Australian ABC radio station that is translated into Khmer and will sink her teeth into any Khmer newspaper, magazine or website. She’s trying hard to get a better grasp on the English language to open herself up to this limitless source of stories and information. She has a great love for Khmer culture and loves to watch the ancient art form of Apsara Dancing and listen to the Khmer music composed before the Pol Pot regime. Sinet is also a natural leader and often helps care for the younger kids, setting a good example for the older kids. She’s quick-witted, assertive, brave, compassionate, generous and very humble. We all have no doubt she is headed for great things.
With the backing of CCT Sinet is currently attending an international high school in Phnom Penh. She is well on her way to realising her dream of becoming a lawyer. We will all be there at her graduation!
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Sineit Chan
Sineit is a very pretty girl, who stays upbeat in the face of some serious health issues. She has a beautiful singing voice and loves to sing popular Khmer music. She has lots of friends at her local school and likes to spend her free time with them.
She’s smart and recently her school grades have seen a great improvement and she studies hard in the hope of moving up a grade at school. She is very welcoming to all of CCT’s new-comers, two of whom have just begun Khmer literacy classes for the first time, she helps them study after class and is very encouraging. Her English is progressing well, although she can be shy to practice it aloud. Her personal confidence is continuing to grow as she makes plans about what she would like to do in the future - she has decided that she would like to be an primary school teacher.
She’s a kind, caring young woman with a strong maternal instinct.
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Nacha Chan
Nacha is bright, confident, talented and athletic. Already a gifted artist, singer, and dancer, perhaps his most impressive skill is acrobatics. Having studied at circus school he has mastered such acts as walking on his hands, backflips, riding a unicycle and juggling. He also puts his skills to work at home where Tara's caught him scaling a coconut tree with monkey-like ease, after a fresh coconut. He’s cheeky with a brilliant smile that he’s not afraid to use.
His growth and maturity over the past six months is striking. He is a good student whose grades have improved in the past year. He is very responsible and studies hard. His skills at drawing and painting have also developed and it is a creative outlet that he enjoys. He is an incredibly enthusiastic soccer player and is about to start working with SALT, a local organisation which helps kids to develop their soccer skills, in preparation for Battambang’s Premier League soccer try outs. So keep your fingers crossed for him!
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Jendar Heng
Jendar is one of the funniest little people we have ever met. She is always making us laugh with her adorable and unselfconscious behaviour. She’s cheeky and very clever. She loves cuddles and getting her hands into everything!
She is enrolled at GEMS International School in Battambang where she studies half days, the other half of the day she attends the local public school. She loves going to school and walks through the door saying ‘Hello Teacher!’ Jendar is constantly amused by herself and is just as happy in her own company as she is surrounded by friends. Her English is coming along well, and although she sometimes mixes up her ABC’s, she can usually remember them all - even if they aren’t quite in the right order! She is mischievous and loves to joke and pull pranks on and with the kids at CCT. She will climb on anything or anyone who will stand still long enough.
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Sroh Heng
Sroh is an adorable little girl with a big smile and is one of CCT’s biggest personalities! She loves to express herself in art class and at CCT’s dance parties. She loves cuddles and climbing on anything and everything.
She likes to play with dolls with the other girls at CCT and enjoys dressing up in pretty dresses, but she can also hold her own with the boys and loves to wrestle with them, often chasing them down once she has already won, just to show she can beat them twice!
She is attending the local public school where her grades are consistently good. She loves school and all of her friends there, and her teachers are impressed by her enthusiasm. Her English is also coming along very well, and she is keen to impress any visitors to CCT with the new words she has learnt, showing them the animals on the walls at CCT and yelling out their names. She has a fantastic, mischievous smile and loves to joke around.
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Pearun Nhem
Pearun is a very mature, responsible, and clever boy who can be relied on to pull the younger boys into line. His serious face hides a kind and generous boy with a great sense of humour and an infectious laugh.
Pearun has blown everyone away with his artistic abilities. His drawings and landscape paintings are incredibly beautiful and detailed. He is proud of his skill level and often helps the other kids out, showing them the different techniques. He is also a tremendously talented piano player, with minimal training he has surprised everyone with his aptitude for music, which was described by a visiting music teacher as ‘extraordinary’. He is also keen to begin playing the guitar as well. He loves the creative outlet of music and art and hopes to one day be both a musician and artist.
Watch Pearun play the piano
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Somnung Hai
Somnung has had an extremely hard life but is now doing very well at CCT. She often says how much she loves living at CCT and how she wishes she could have come sooner. She’s sweet-natured and polite to the point of angelic, but don’t be fooled! She is also brave, cheeky and a survivor.
Her kind and gentle soul makes her adored by all the other kids at CCT - particularly the younger girls who are always climbing up to give her a hug. She loves braiding hair and Apsara dance classes.
She only started school for the first time when she arrived at CCT in 2007 but does well and always tries very hard. She is very capable, tidy, well organised, conscientious and a pleasure to have around.
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Premprey Cheury
Premprey is shy and conservative but not afraid to speak her mind. She loves a good joke and a hearty meal. She is a talented masseuse and is the residential knuckle cracker at CCT. She also takes her Buddhist practices very seriously and is the first to pull you up if your clothes are a little too revealing.
Premprey has such a kind and caring soul. She helps anyone in need, from studying with CCT’s newest members who have just begun literacy classes for the first time to assisting her house mother and father with preparing their meals. She loves to cook, her favourite dish to make is fried fish (not because it’s difficult she says, but because it tastes so good.) She is currently in the 9th grade, and she enjoys school very much.
She’s a popular member of CCT with an adorable smile.
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Sophy Cheury
Sophy has recently begun a hairdressing apprenticeship in Battambang which she is thoroughly enjoying and her confidence in her abilities continues to grow.
After recently learning how to highlight hair at work she returned home and decided to practice her new skills on her friends at CCT... as a result, for the next few days five of our girls were running around with bleached blond heads! Sophy has since rectified the situation and the girl’s hair has returned to what almost resembles their original colour! Sophy dreams of going to Singapore to train as a hairdresser and beauty therapist.
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Torn Kein
Torn is a strong-willed, intelligent girl. She only started school at 13 but with hard work she has skipped several grades. She loves to read and consistantly gains impressive results at school. She studies very hard, as she plans to become a doctor.
Her English, which has always been good, is now at a very advanced level. She is currently working in CCT’s shop - Juey Bazaar - in the afternoons, while she is on her two month summer holidays and she credits the improvement in her language skills to practicing with the customers everyday.
She has begun a beading project with some of CCT’s older girls, developing beautiful necklaces and bracelets, something she has a particular skill for. She relishes designing new types of jewellery and complimentary colour combinations which she then teaches to the other girls, they hope to be able to sell them in the CCT shop soon.
She’s a big fan of food and delights in having a slightly fuller figure than the rest of the girls. She also loves to have a good laugh with her best friend, Premprey.
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Tou Kein
Tou is extremely clever, boisterous and full of life. She’s always ranked at the top of her grade and excels at English school too. She loves school and (almost) always makes sure her homework is completed on time. She’s always well behaved and loves making friends with the visitors to CCT. Unlike many Khmer girls her age, she’s not self-conscious and is unafraid of looking a little silly in order to have some fun!
She is very kind to all those around her, and with natural leadership skills, it makes her someone all the kids at CCT look up to.
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Jet Kein
Jet is a strong little guy who is always a keen competitor in CCT games of marbles, jump rope, shooting hoops and the like. He is also a fantastic soccer player, and enjoys playing on the school soccer team.
He is enthusiastic about his studies and is particularly enjoying his art, music and Apsara dance classes. He is very clever and with the help of CCT tutors now achieves impressive grades at school. Jet was recently elected vice head boy by the kids at CCT, a role that he is very proud of and a responsibility which he has taken on well!
He is a very kind and responsible boy, and friendly with all the children at CCT.
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Taip Kein
Taip is the youngest brother of Jet, Tou and Torn. He is a quiet, sweet and polite child. He’s a calm natured little guy and exceptionally bright.
He is very studious and his grades have been consistently good. He is enjoying the local public school where he has the security of being with his CCT brothers and sisters, as well as having a whole class of other kids he can make new friends with. However his “best friend in the world” (in his words) is Bisal.
He’s a groovy little dancer who busts some funky moves at CCT’s dance parties. He has a natural confidence, charm and a smile that could melt any heart.
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Annie Lee
Annie had her first birthday at CCT and despite her unfortunate start to life she is now growing into a healthy, beautiful little girl. Annie keeps everyone entertained at CCT. She is very clever, strong and holds her own despite being the youngest member. She loves eating almost anything and playing with her older brothers and sisters.
She is currently enrolled in GEMS International School in Battambang where she is making lots of new friends and her English is greatly improving. She is always proud to show off her English after school - there is an animal poster on the wall upon which she proudly points out all the names in English. She is a little shy about her ABC’s because sometimes she mixes them up, and gets embarrassed in front of the other kids, but if no one corrects her she is perfectly happy to walk around singing ABCGEFD! When recently asked if she had a best friend she said that she had two, when asked who they were she said they were Rouart and Somnang - her house mother and father at CCT!
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Tong Pan
Tong is CCT's newest child. He is a sweet, affectionate and charismatic little guy, who has an intellectual disability. He loves learning and being involved in a range of social and academic activities. He’s full of life and his energy is contagious!
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Samouey Mouern
Samouey is a sweet, shy young girl who loves to laugh. In fact laughing is her answer to a lot of things in life. She works hard at school and pulls her weight at CCT.
Samouey is a bright girl who is continually ranked in the top five students in her grade level at the local public school. She is hoping that when the new school year starts she will be able to skip ahead one grade level as discussed by her teachers. She is a beautiful Apsara dancer and loves to perform with the other girls. She is very kind to all those around her, and is adored by the younger girls at CCT. She loves to play with all the CCT kids and make them laugh. She’s also a huge fan of Khmer cakes!
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Roua Mouern
Roua is a quiet and slightly built little guy who tries his best to be well behaved, listen in class and help out at CCT where he can. He has a very gentle nature and rarely gets up to any mischief. Like a typical boy he loves cars, boats, trains, motorbikes and anything with an engine that goes boom! He also likes to eat… a lot!
He is very good with his hands and can fix any broken toy cars there are at CCT. He enjoys his Apsara dance classes, and is always happy to perform with the other kids. Roua is a very responsible child at CCT, and always does his chores when it is his turn on the roster without having to be asked (which makes his house mother and father very proud!)