Meet Sreynear, one of our beautiful foster children who went from a place of pain – a sad child who acted out in anger – to a place of life and of thriving. We are so proud of her Foster Care family for their incredible love and endurance through the difficult times. Even more, we are pleased with Sreynear and her progress over the years as she has become an active, creative, little girl.
In a heartbreaking beginning, following early years of abuse, Sreynear was given to an orphanage at the age of three. A few months later however, her mother took her back with hopes of selling her, to address her own mounting financial difficulties.
A local anti-trafficking group, along with the local police, intervened in time and Sreynear entered the care of CIF, who placed her with a foster care family.
A Second Chance in Foster Care
Due to her traumatic background, her transition was not smooth. She was defensive and had trouble socializing with children and adults. At school she would lash out at teachers and fight with other children, struggling to make friends. Her foster parents were loving and patient but needed a lot of extra support and encouragement from CIF staff.
Despite moments of being at their wits end, the family stuck with her. They showed Sreynear what it means to live in a safe and secure environment. Gradually, after testing all of her boundaries, she began to let her guard down and change. Blossoming, she started to make friends, and learned to listen. Most importantly, she now sees herself as part of the family she lives in.
We love seeing this beautiful little girl thrive. We are so grateful for foster families like hers who invest everything into changing the world for a child. Because of their love, she wasn’t lost, a sad trafficking or abuse statistic. Sreynear is a child with a bright and hopeful future!
To read more about the ways that trauma effects Cambodian kids, and the reasons why CIF keeps doing what it’s doing, check out our Trauma and Health in Cambodian Children. As we continue, we know we will see more outcomes like we have for Sreynear.
Children in Families (CIF) is a local Christian non-profit working across the Kingdom of Cambodia to place vulnerable children in loving families. Through foster care, kinship care, emergency care, domestic adoption, and family-strengthening outreach, CIF works so that every child can grow up known, safe, and loved within a family, not an institution.
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