AHC strives to distinguish itself as a child and family friendly facility. Part of this is accomplished through our family service attendants who are responsible for assisting patients and their families while visiting the hospital. For your average Cambodian, a visit to Siem Reap and AHC can be disconcerting. So through the family service attendants we try to make their visit as compassionate and easy as possible. Our newest hire, Nhab Nhatty, has been spending a few hours every Saturday and Sunday volunteering at AHC since he was 11 years old. Thursday the 24th of March he was offered a full-time position in the hospital. This week he starts work in the Outpatient Department directing patients and families, facilitating the flow, and being a comfort to the all those being cared for at AHC. Nhatty is now 18 and has dreamt of this opportunity since his first day at AHC seven years ago.
“I feel so lucky. This is my best day!”
Nhatty’s Story
Nhatty’s parents divorced when he was very young and he spent his early years in the care of his grandmother. His parents did not have the opportunity to seek an education and struggled to support him. In Nhatty’s hometown of Battambang, the farming during the short wet season provides many jobs. When the season ends, work is hard to find but incredibly necessary when raising a family. Nhatty has three younger sisters who, now grown, have moved to Thailand where jobs are easier to find. The conditions they work in are very poor and Nhatty thinks of them often, wishing for a better life for them. He hopes an education will help him avoid the hardships his parents and sisters currently face.
When Nhatty was 8 years old, his grandmother sent him to live in a pagoda in Siem Reap. The pagoda is supported by outside organizations and houses twenty to thirty boys. Here the boys are given an education through grade 12, food, and $20 per month as spending money. A few years ago, Nhatty met an Australian woman who visited the pagoda while in Siem Reap. She graciously offered to fund his college studies. Recognizing this amazing opportunity, Nhatty began to pursue a bachelor’s degree in information technology. He recently finished the first semester of his second year at the university. His perseverance and hard work are inspiring. He studies diligently each morning and has worked at a guest house every evening from 5 pm to 7 am. Nhatty’s new position will make it possible for him to resign from his current job and pursue the dream he has had since he was 11, to work at AHC and to gain valuable experience that will lead to other opportunities in his life while serving the families at AHC. He stays in contact with his family who could not be more proud of his accomplishments. He hopes to one day work in his field of study, Information Technology.
"I feel very lucky that I am going to have a good life.” ~ Nhab Nhatty
