Somying
Somying achieved her dreams — and is helping other girls in Thailand do the same.
Growing up, Somying lived with her younger sister and mother. Her mother, a single parent, supported all three of them on the $5 a day she made working at a water factory.
As the oldest daughter, Somying would traditionally be expected to sacrifice her own education to work and support her younger sister and family. She’s also a member of an ethnic minority group that faces discrimination, which increases the odds of dropping out as well as put her at risk of becoming trafficked or otherwise exploited.
When Somying was 15, she applied for a scholarship with The Freedom Story. A determined student, she chose the academic track at the best high school in Chiang Rai, Thailand, focusing on Chinese language. While this opened up many opportunities, it also made it difficult to study and work at the same time, causing immense financial and emotional stress for Somying. Thankfully, The Freedom Story’s scholarships and mentorship program helped provide the support Somying needed to stay in school.
“I had roadblocks along the way, but everyone here would encourage me by saying, ‘You’re so close to success, Can you see it? It’s just around the corner.’ It made me think, ‘Yes! Others are confident I can do it, why am I not confident? And it would make me get up and keep going.’”
Somying was so successful in school, she has been able to help one student every year get accepted to her university in China. She played a huge role in orienting those students into life in a different country by taking them to the supermarket, to open bank accounts, and more, citing those who helped her in the past as her inspiration to pay it forward and help the younger students.
Somying has now graduated and found a job in China. When asked about the impact of The Freedom Story, she explains,
“Since joining The Freedom Story, my life has hope. In the past, I only had dreams. But they weren’t possible. They were like the wind… The Freedom Story gave me confidence, it helped me know that if I had an issue, I had people who would support me. If I fall down, I’d have people to pick me back up and walk this path with me.”
Learn more about The Freedom Story, a GlobalGiving partner.
— Original story by Lucy McCray, The Freedom Story Monitoring and Evaluation Manager
