Bonnie grew up in the slums of Phnom Pehn city. Her home was basic, with palm leaves for a roof and corrugated iron walls, there was no electricity and because it was built so close to the river it had been built on stilts. During rainy season the river would flood the family home with raw sewage and plastic waste. Bonnie would have to swim through the water to get in and out of their home which often resulted in Bonnie and her family falling sick. They would all sleep on shelves to avoid getting wet at night.

Being a part of a poor family meant that Bonnie had more responsibility in contrast to the average child. She would have to contribute to the family income in some way each day and so would wake up at 4am to bake 200 cakes to sell throughout the morning in the markets. After this bonnie would go with her father into the city to collect plastic bottles and cans from the streets. She would fill many bags to earn a very little wage. Often Bonnie would be out until 11pm collecting rubbish and as a young girl being out at this time, was very vulnerable.

Bonnie dreamt of becoming a doctor, a dream that seemed far out of reach for a girl from the slums. One day Bonnie got some amazing news, she was going to be sponsored by Edukid to go to school!

Bonnie has graduated her degree in medicine! She continues to live in the slum, opening up her home to the community as a medical centre. Before the people there had very limited access to healthcare and now can This demonstrates the ripple effect that education can have within a community. By Bonnie having the opportunity to study and go on to be a doctor, she has been able to impact thousands of people, who otherwise couldn’t afford treatment.

Every day Bonnie is curing illness and saving lives. Without education she wouldn’t be in a position to do this.

Please visit our website and watch Bonnies video in which she tells her story in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfyeF_34Beg