Below is a Hon Vichet's story and a photo of his artwork.
I am 23 years old. When I was a child, my family lived in Kampong Cham. My father drank a lot and was quite violent, and I ran away when I was three years old. I stopped a car and asked the people to take me to Battambang where I lived on the streets for three years. Kind people gave me money to eat and I bought some polish and a brush and made some money polishing people's shoes outside restaurants.
One day a family asked me if I wanted to stay with them, so at the age of six I went to live in Svay village in Battambang (now Svay Sisophon in Banteay Meanchey). I looked after their five cows for two months before I had my accident. I had tied the cows up and went to have lunch and play with my friends. We ate sticky rice in banana leaves with prahok, very tasty!
I didn’t know that land had mines. It was about two kilometers away from my village, which is quite near the border with Thailand. While we were playing one friend stood on a landmine and pieces of the mine flew through the air and hit my leg. The friend who stood on the landmine died immediately, I fell unconscious, and my other friend went to get help.
People in the village made a stretcher with bamboo and material and carried me to the hospital about two kilometers away. I was already there when I woke up. I was so sad when I saw that I had lost my left foot.
Four months after my accident I went to Phnom Penh, where I lived on the streets for three years. When I was nine years, old Friends International started to take care of me but I left in 2002 at the age of 16 and made some money selling newspapers and magazines on the streets of Phnom Penh. About a year later, I met Aki Ra while I was walking the streets, and he asked me if I would like to live at the Cambodian Landmine Museum (CLMM). I moved to the CLMM and went to school to learn a lot of different things.
In 2008, I went to live in Siem Reap and earned money playing traditional music in Banteay Kdei temple. It was during a visit to see my friends back at the CLMM that I heard Aki Ra was sick. I went to see him and he asked me if I would like to train to be a deminer with his organization, Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD).
I have now learned about clearing the land of mines and am happy to be a deminer. In addition to demining, I still love music. Sometimes I dream of being a pop star. I would like to start my own band and play the keyboards.
Although I had some problems with my real parents I would really like to find them because I have not seen them or my sister for 20 years. I can’t remember their names as I was so young but I do remember they lived in Banteay Sup village in Kampong Cham.
One day a family asked me if I wanted to stay with them, so at the age of six I went to live in Svay village in Battambang (now Svay Sisophon in Banteay Meanchey). I looked after their five cows for two months before I had my accident. I had tied the cows up and went to have lunch and play with my friends. We ate sticky rice in banana leaves with prahok, very tasty!
I didn’t know that land had mines. It was about two kilometers away from my village, which is quite near the border with Thailand. While we were playing one friend stood on a landmine and pieces of the mine flew through the air and hit my leg. The friend who stood on the landmine died immediately, I fell unconscious, and my other friend went to get help.
People in the village made a stretcher with bamboo and material and carried me to the hospital about two kilometers away. I was already there when I woke up. I was so sad when I saw that I had lost my left foot.
Four months after my accident I went to Phnom Penh, where I lived on the streets for three years. When I was nine years, old Friends International started to take care of me but I left in 2002 at the age of 16 and made some money selling newspapers and magazines on the streets of Phnom Penh. About a year later, I met Aki Ra while I was walking the streets, and he asked me if I would like to live at the Cambodian Landmine Museum (CLMM). I moved to the CLMM and went to school to learn a lot of different things.
In 2008, I went to live in Siem Reap and earned money playing traditional music in Banteay Kdei temple. It was during a visit to see my friends back at the CLMM that I heard Aki Ra was sick. I went to see him and he asked me if I would like to train to be a deminer with his organization, Cambodian Self Help Demining (CSHD).
I have now learned about clearing the land of mines and am happy to be a deminer. In addition to demining, I still love music. Sometimes I dream of being a pop star. I would like to start my own band and play the keyboards.
Although I had some problems with my real parents I would really like to find them because I have not seen them or my sister for 20 years. I can’t remember their names as I was so young but I do remember they lived in Banteay Sup village in Kampong Cham.
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