Life of shoeshine boy

I met a boy polishing a pair of shoes at the café on the side of the road in Ta Khmoa district, Kandal province. Beside his school, he takes his free time to help his parents to make money every day. Phan, 15, was speaking to me with sad face that he could make 5000 riel per day and giving all to his parents.

He always walks around or near Ta Khmao market and café to find out clients. He said that his mother stays at home and his father is retired who before served as civil servant. His sister is working in garment factory. His brother is working as security guard for private company.

In the reason of vocation coming nearly 3 months from July to September, primary and secondary school boys and girls have no class at school for waiting for the next school year. Some pupils go back to visit their parents at village home, some help their family. Others who live in well-off or rich family have opportunity to stay at home or studying other foreign languages. So straggling boy have no opportunity to learn like other children.

In addition, he is going on vocation from his school, now he is in grade 6. During his morning study, he makes money by polishing shoes in the afternoon. He has 8 siblings in family. He is the 5^th son in the family.

The boy’s life is not different from mine when I was at primary or secondary school. I felt happy while the vocation arrived each year. And then I went to visit my parents at hometown and helped them to clean fields as well. It is because of poor family, most of children have not enough opportunity to access school and some dropped out of school because of lack money to support their study.