By៖ Sheila Yuan Jiahuan/ Formerly Intern at United Nations in Cambodia
 

My relationship with Cambodia bears infinite love, laughter, bitterness, and tears. Cambodia is the country that has changed the eyes with which I look at the world.

Born in 1994 in China, I am a part of so-called “Lucky Generation”－ generation of people born in the 1990s, who have been living in a modern and rapidly developing China. However, only a few decades ago, both my parents and grandparents suffered from poverty and hunger. During the Great Famine period in China, my grandparents lost their baby daughter due to malnutrition. In my childhood, my grandparents and parents told me their stories repeatedly to remind me not to forget those days and inspire me to cherish the current development in China.
 

But the life experience they described was too distant for me. I could not imagine the pictures of people living in such conditions, suffering from hunger, not being able to access quality education and to build their future. That was before the year 2016 when I had first set foot in Cambodia as a volunteer. The experience opened a new chapter in my life and also paved my way to become an intern at the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office in Cambodia.

The village where the orphanage located in/Yuan Jiahuan
 

I remember that when I volunteered, teaching Chinese and English in an orphanage school in Siem Reap, my students touched my core. Challenges like landmines and child exploitation deserve more attention than they get.
 

“In Cambodia, not every young person has the right to choose their future and some never even think about their dreams,” said 18-year-old Sayta*, a student from an orphanage where I used to volunteer.
 

The idea to help improve people’s lives in Cambodia has been in my mind ever since. After my graduation in June 2018, I embarked on a new journey with the UN in Cambodia.
 

My experience at the UN in Cambodia was life-changing, as I kept learning about social, economic and development issues of Cambodia every day, and my professional skills have been honed immensely. Most importantly, I gradually understood what the UN is actually doing for achieving the commitment — leaving no one behind, the overarching principle behind the Sustainable Development Goals.

Primary students in Siem Reap/Yuan Jiahuan
 

Because of it’s bloody past, caused by the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia seems to face more development challenges, compared to its neighboring states. It has become the most youthful country in South East Asia with more than 50 percent of the total population below 25 years of age and 20.6 percent between the ages 15 and 24. Youth plays a crucial role in the economic development of the country. However, empowering youth and sustaining youth employment growth remains a big challenge for Cambodia.
 

Due to limited level of education, many young people in Cambodia are part of vulnerable groups. Ahead of International Youth Day, I assisted colleagues from UNESCO with Youth Portrait Project. Traveling to the outskirts of Phnom Penh, I met 20-year-old Song Sith. When Song was only 17 years old, he worked at a construction site in Thailand without any legal documents. “I dropped out of school in grade five, my family needed me to work to support my other eight siblings,” he said.
 

Youth is key for positive change in society. The UN is partnering with government and private sector to ensure the employability and better employment rate of youth and to make sure young people are better informed about their rights and employment prospects.

Youth Employment Joint Program Roundtable Discussion/Yuan Jiahuan
 

After several months of working for the UN in Cambodia, I continuously remind myself to always contribute the best of my knowledge and skills to those in need. And the longer I live in Cambodia, the more I can relate to my motherland. In the past 40 years, we were thankful to developed countries that had helped China and Chinese citizens. And now, China has more capacity and responsibility to help other developing countries.
 

As Helen Keller, an American author, political activist and lecturer, said: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” That’s the true belief for me and other staff at the UN.
 

I recalled a long conversation I had with one of my national colleagues atthe office, who has been working with the UN in Cambodia for more than ten years. She told me that what motivates her is knowing that the work she is doing will help to develop the society and bring new hope to Khmer people.

 

I’ve been frequently asked: Why Cambodia? And my answer is always the same: Because Cambodia is an intriguing country and has been inspiring me on my way to explore myself. Because of the experience there, I embarked on a journey to thirteen other nations to promote and spread awareness about various social evils, including disseminating information about preventing malaria in Kenya. It has completely changed my perception of life, and it is the most precious gift I’ve ever received.
 

When I started working in Phnom Penh, Sayta had already finished an exchange program in Canada and came back to Cambodia. The 18-year-old boy told me he chose to transfer to a school in Siem Reap for next semester, so he could be close to children in the orphanage where he grew up.

Kids in the orphanage are running barefoot/Yuan Xiaole
 

“The organization has helped me to become me. I want to give all I have to the other kids there,” I looked at Sayta’s eyes and recalled how I saw the children running barefoot on the sandy ground again, but this time, they were smiling. I know they’re running towards bright future with all the help and support from the people working in Cambodia and from beyond national borders.