2. Cambodian Hope Organisation
CONNECTED CHURCH
Cambodian Hope Organisation

3. TACKLING HIV
Summer 2016

4. Chey and his family are HIV positive
Chey and his family are HIV positive. Shunned by the community, with little income and parents who travel days for work, Chey and his siblings are lonely and often go hungry.
Chey Chowon is 10 years old and has had HIV since he was born. He lives with his parents and five siblings, all of whom are also HIV positive. He talks about his experiences:-
“Before I got to know CHO I was very sad all the time. Because I have HIV I didn’t have many friends - people stay away from my family because they are scared they will get infected too. And my parents are never really here. My dad works away in Thailand as a construction worker and sends money back to us, and my mum crosses the border each day to work as a day labourer. This means that as the eldest child I look after my brothers and sisters which is really hard. Many days there is not enough food for us to eat and I can’t cook so we go hungry a lot.

5. ‘People stay away from my family because they are scared they will get infected too...Many days there is not enough food for us to eat’
“Before I got to know CHO I was very sad all the time. Because I have HIV I didn’t have many friends - people stay away from my family because they are scared they will get infected too. And my parents are never really here. My dad works away in Thailand as a construction worker and sends money back to us, and my mum crosses the border each day to work as a day labourer. This means that as the eldest child I look after my brothers and sisters which is really hard. Many days there is not enough food for us to eat and I can’t cook so we go hungry a lot.

6. CHO educated the village about HIV and now people visit us!
They also gave me cooking lessons and rice to help feed my family.
CHO began visiting our village a few months ago and got to know my family. The did lots of work to educate the rest of the community about HIV, and slowly we noticed our neighbours started talking to us, some began bringing us food!
CHO also gave me some cooking lessons and gave us lots of rice. Now we always have enough to eat and I know how to feed my family.

7. ‘The people who once avoided us are now our friends’
I am so much happier. I know my family will be okay, I know people care for us and now I can rely on the community to be there for us when my parents are away. The people who once avoided us are now our friends.”
People with HIV are still shunned and persecuted across the world. A lack of education around the disease means people stay away, leading to loneliness and a lack of support for sufferers. Please pray for Chey and other people with HIV around the world.

8. Let us pray for people affected by HIV across the world.
PRAYER
Let us pray for people affected by HIV across the world.