Three years ago, several freshman students at Assumption High School, including myself, learned about the horrors of sex trafficking taking place in Cambodia. We read about children as young as 5 years old who are tricked or kidnapped by sex traffickers and forced into Cambodian brothels. We read that some Cambodian girls even go willingly to the brothels, thinking that they can make a living by being prostitutes. With proper education, many international organizations concerned with Cambodia believe that these girls would be less likely to end up in brothels. We wanted to help.
Three years later, as rising seniors, we, the students who were once simply reading New York Times articles about sex trafficking in Cambodia, can proudly say that we have taken action and built a school to combat this problem. We spent three years hosting fund-raisers to bring our total up to more than $20,000. Cambodian children now attend our school, which opened this spring in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.
We feel that we are very privileged to live in America and have families who are able to support us and give us an education. We've been given the opportunity to help others, so we're taking advantage of it. By building a school, we give close to 400 children an education that they never would have received had the school not been built. And the number of affected Cambodians multiplies as another class of students enters the school each year, and as their children and grandchildren become a part of families with educations. The school not only gives students an education, but hope for their futures.
Now, we are ready for another challenge. Our group of 10 Assumption students and two teachers is planning a mission trip to Cambodia during Assumption's Mission Week in February. We will spend a week in Cambodia visiting our school. We will also visit other projects, including Bright Future Kids and the New Life Orphanage. However, it is not cheap to fly internationally and to stay in Cambodia for a week. We are fund-raising as a group and hope to receive donations for the trip along with frequent flyer miles. We are thrilled to meet the children and know that this experience will be a life-changing opportunity for all of us. We would greatly appreciate any help with this. Visit our Web site at www.educatecambodia.org to find out how to help.
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