Real solutions to real problems: a child working to support his family is now in school

Meet Phea. At 11 years old, he had never been to school. 

We came to know Phea through our After School classes. He is a bright boy; he’s keen to learn - particularly math. When our teacher enquired about his interest in numbers, Phea said he wanted to be able to help his grandmother to calculate her payment at the recycling station. He has a sweet heart. He is gentle and a little shy. After a while, we came to discover that Phea wasn’t attending public school. 

It is Flame’s vision to inspire children from poor communities to move from begging or recycling into education, so our case worker was assigned to uncover what where the reasons for Phea’s school nonattendance. 

Phea lives with his grandmother in a tiny rundown shack and helps her with the recycling and caring for his 6-year-old sister, Choryee. They didn’t have birth certificates, an essential in the school enrollment process, despite the grandmother’s attempt to have them made. So, our team intervened to process the documentation. 

Next, we pursued school enrollment for the children. There were some complications in permitting the placement of 11-year-old Phea in grade one. This was a worry for Phea. But because Phea is with Flame, and had a team of social workers advocating for him, it was agreed that he could start at school despite being rather old in his class. Phea is bright and capable, and with the “Catch-Up Classes” at Flame in addition to normal school, it was determined that he would be able to reach the academic level of his year group quickly as he progresses.

This is not an end result; it is a beginning. We will update you when Phea graduates from primary school. His journey ahead is long and it's not going to be easy. However, he is so grateful for the opportunity he has been given to get an education. 

The onset of COVID-19 closed schools the very month that Phea and Choryee started school. How frustrating! Sporadic education in the midst of a pandemic is not an ideal start but the Flame social work team are on the ground, providing the essential support services that Phea and Choryee and kids just like them need.

You can support kids like Phea and Choryee simply by clicking on the donate button below. We need you.