A petite woman standing in the middle of some rough villagers, her fine voice giving instructions about what was to be done. The sun is barely over the horizon. Her sleeves covering up to the fingertips, with lots of confidence she points at where the soil is supposed to be moved to. I am mesmerized by her determination. As one of her first tasks at ICF Cambodia Channa was asked to help me with translation on the construction site – which is not much more than a hole and some heaps of soil back in 2015. Surely, if someone told her some weeks ago she’d end up on construction, she would’ve playfully slapped that person.
“In fact, I always wanted to become a florist, a broadcaster on TV or an ambassador for the country. My dreams were inspired by movies and my relatives who pushed me towards a career that would make some serious money, hopefully. My strict parents raised me and my three brothers with the main focus on education. Besides going to school there was no reason to leave the house. Not even playing with the neighbors was really allowed.