Meet our amazing staff

At Flame we believe that it is not just what we are doing but who does it that is important. Many of our staff have already travelled the same journey that our clients are on. Who better to lead the way?

INTRODUCING: Chanthon Proueng

WHAT IS YOUR JOB WITH FLAME?

My name is Chanthon Proueng, and I am the Home Advisor for the university students supported by Flame. The students call me ‘Mak’, which means mother.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR FLAME?

Four years, since Flame began.

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR JOB?

When I think of the reasons why I love Flame, it is because God comes first in Flame. Flame supports the young adults in their individual journeys. I am so happy to work with Flame and want to see the young adults grow. Finally, I love the Christian values and how Flame supports so many kids and families here in Cambodia.

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND/HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING FOR FLAME?

I got married in 1971. My husband was a hard worker, and often away in the province where his family lived. I would only see him when he was in Phnom Penh.

The war in 1971 forced me to leave my family*. Then in 1973 I gave birth to my son, Rithea. Soldiers took my husband, son and I to Takeo Province. From there my son and I were separated from my husband as he was taken to work far away. He was unable to visit us often.

We had no food. My son and I risked our lives searching for vegetables, crab and shellfish or anything edible. I worked hard to secretly find food, knowing the soldiers would kill me if they found out.

Sadly, in 1976, my son died (aged 3) after becoming sick from the lack of food. Only three months later my husband also passed away because we had no medicine. This was an extremely traumatic and difficult time and it greatly affected my mental health. I often would feel I could not keep living from this sadness, lack of food and sickness. However, thankfully I was not alone, as many other families had this happen to them too, so I found comfort in them.

I missed my family very much, so eventually asked the soldiers to let me work somewhere else. I was taken to do very hard jobs, such as digging the land to make roads and digging water holes – one was even to become a lake. We had to put big rocks on our backs and carry them to where the lake would be. We had to make a dam to stop the water – but one day it broke. The solders made us stop the water with our bodies. I would have to sleep in the water, stopping the water getting through with only our heads allowed out of the water. Soldiers threatened to kill me if I was unable to continue.

One soldier fell in love with me, but I did not love him. If I refused the soldier, he would kill me, so I decided to run away. I stayed in hiding for three months until the soldiers found me and took me back into their custody.

I was then transferred into a forest where they took people to be killed. I had to stay in a tent and do similar work as I had done previously. During this time I made a close friend, but one day the soldiers killed her. I kept thinking, “Why not me?”, but now I believe it was God’s plan to keep me alive.

Once the civil war began, I was taken with others somewhere to carry the wounded to a safe place. Whenever a soldier would whistle we would have to come out of our tent and help the person who had been shot. Once again if I did not do as I was told, I would be killed.

I would talk to the wounded, try encourage them and reduce their pain. I would comfort them by saying, “You’re still alive, we can save you.” During this same time I was brought young girls ages seven and eight to care for. This made me happy as the children had no parents or family to look after them.

Eventually the Vietnam soldiers attacked. Because I was working for the Khmer soldiers they shot at me and I once again had to run for my life.  

Finally the Vietnamese won the war – resulting in my freedom.

Even though I had been freed, I was still without food so would hunt for it wherever I could. Sometimes I found rice left over in abandoned houses.

I decided to journey back to my family by foot. It took me a whole week. Finally when I arrived, I was relieved to see my mother and seven of my siblings all together. Sadly I also discovered that my younger brother had passed away and my father was lost. To this day I do not know what happened to him. We spend two days in that location and then decided with several other people to journey by foot, 40 days back to our home town. On the journey we sold necklaces for food. I felt such pity for the children who had lost their parents and had no family, and really wanted to help them.

Eventually we made it home, yet still did not have daily food to eat. We ate when we could and would sell whatever we could, including rubbish, and with some help, we managed to start a small business.

I became a Christian when my cousin who lived in Canada came to share the good news to Khmer people. At first I did not believe and then my cousin gave me a Bible and I read John 3:16 “For God so loved the world He gave His only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not die but have everlasting life.” Along with other verses that speaks about widows and orphans. It touched my heart and I spent a whole night reading. In the morning I asked my cousin to show me how to offer my heart to God.

From there I began study to become a children’s Bible teacher and soon had a choice between a job that offered $100.00 a month or working as a foster mum in a Christian Organisation (Hagar) for $35 a month. My cousin asked me, “Do you want to work for people or for God?”. So I chose to work for Hagar, and was with them from 1998 until 2014 as a foster mother.

Sue (Hanna) and I worked together in Hagar. When Sue started Flame for the young adults, I was asked to come and stay with them and care for them. Sue encouraged me to look to the future of the of the children I had raised in Hagar. I wanted to see them finish university, be successful and have a good life. I also wanted them to have a place to stay while they were studying.

So the young adults came to live with Flame, and Sue asked me to become the Home Advisor, and live in the girls home. I was very glad to be involved and help these people in this way. I make the food for events and look after the boys and girls house and teach the young adults in this role.

WHAT MESSAGE OR ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE?

My advice is to always look to the future - there is always something you can do!

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 *The Khmer Rouge began a civil war to take over Cambodia from 1970. They took over control of the country from 1975 to 1979 until they were defeated by the Vietnamese Army.