Sokheoun, a 35-year old farmer, almost committed suicide after discovering that she had HIV and AIDS. She changed her mind after thinking of her children and moved on to divorce her husband after finding out that he was with another woman. 

All the same, Sokheoun’s life quickly became unbearable because of HIV and AIDS. She became very skinny and had to close a profitable food store selling pork-rice soup because her customers stopped coming to her. 

Even her own family shunned her, afraid she would transmit it to them.

Sokheoun cries as she says, “Whenever I cooked food, nobody wanted to eat it because they thought it was dirty and could infect them. Even my mother detested the food I cooked; I was so depressed and hopeless in life, I decided to ask help from neighbors and my family to build a separate house for me – not even a house, just a small cottage where I lived with my two children.”

“My life became like a living hell. My family and everyone in the village were scared I would spread the disease.”

“But when I thought of ending my life, I was also reminded of my children’s future,” she adds. “I want them to have a bright future and spend as much time with them as I can.” 

Things changed when she went for blood testing at World Vision’s Ksach Kandal Area Development Programme (ADP) and got support for anti-retroviral treatment, along with other HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns that the ADP launched. The HIV and AIDS project of this ADP promotes awareness-raising to all villagers within communities to stop discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients. 

“World Vision gave me a new life with all the support provided to me and my son, SengHong Visal, 14. He became a sponsored child. The staff always supported and took good care of us.” 

“I still hope for a cure of HIV and AIDS in the future,” adds Sokheoun.

Now, life is much better for Sokheoun and her family. The villagers have been educated about HIV and AIDS and do not treat her as an outcast anymore. 

Sokheoun says, “I am not scared to open up my condition to others any more because even those who shunned me in the past have now accepted me. I am not angry or bitter because it is just normal for people to get scared especially if they do not really know the facts about the disease. They just need to be educated to understand,” she explains. 

Sokheoun concludes, “With all the support I get from World Vision, my community and family, I am more confident of my son’s bright future.”