Keasar story: update

Thank you to everybody who helped out raising money for the “Keasar fund” – Tom, Ross, Willem, M&D, 2dogs & Steve. I wish you could have all seen the look on the face of Keasar’s sister-in-law.

On the topic of Keasar, I thought I’d share his biography. He was born in 1971 in rural Cambodia, near MVU. His father died in 1977 under the Khmer Rouge and his mother died two years later. Keasar doesn’t remember much from the KR days, except that they all had to eat together in the village (2000 people) and they didn’t have enough rice, so their rice-soup was mostly water.

After moving in with his aunt & uncle he used to sell rice cakes every morning around his town and walk 4km to school each day. His guardians couldn’t afford to send him to junior high, but after some Keasaresque negotiations and a 10% a month loan he was able to continue his education.

As the only student from his village to pass the final test, a different uncle offered to loan Keasar the money to go to senior high, and so he moved into a Buddhist pagoda in big town (20,000 people) Prey Veng and finished his schooling.

Keasar’s big advantage was that he was relatively good at English, and in 1992 when the UN came to monitor elections in Cambodia, Keasar got a job as a translater/coordinator – making big money ($300/month). Unfortunately, that money was all used up re-paying old debts for his aunts & uncles.

After the UN work, Keasar got an associate degree in engineering in Phnom Penh (where he stayed at another Buddhist pagoda). Later, he got a job with AACF working back near his village, he got married and picked up a Management degree from MVU. And that brings us to today.