It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Arun, one of the pillars of Ermine Norodom's association, Shanty Town Spirit. Arun had been battling illness for many months with great dignity. Sadly, he passed away in the presence of his loved ones this weekend.
Arun was a guest in our magazine to tell his story. He revealed how difficult his path to success had been.
A look back at the journey of a beautiful soul
How can you be confident about the future if your chances are limited from the start? How can we tell ourselves that, when we live on the streets, we have very little chance of one day having a beautiful house, a car, or simply dreams?
How can we imagine a future other than in a poor neighbourhood?
But YES, anything is possible, and the living example of Arun (Prak Phirun) is proof of that. Arun is a Cambodian man in his forties who has given himself the means to make a success of his life. And yet it hasn't been easy.
At the start, his family was well off, living in a beautiful house in a provincial village. His father was in business (timber trading). One day, one of his partners betrayed him. And everything went horribly wrong. No money, no house, no way to live decently.
Misery and resourcefulness
In 1995, they had to move to Oudong, 40 km from Phnom Penh. His father did what he could to continue to provide for the family of nine. But it wasn't enough.
To help his father, Arun set up a small market at school. In his spare time, he collects cow bones, which he then sells. And with this money, he buys toys, which he then sells to the children at his school. Arun was at the top of his class, if not THE top.
When he moved up to grade 6, Arun, then aged 10, had to walk 15 km to school every day, in the rain or in the hot sun. It was a long and difficult journey.
The emotion is still there during the interview, his eyes blurred with tears, and it takes him a few minutes to continue his story. It took four long years. Long hours to get an education, but Arun knew it was the only way out. There wasn't much food, and it was extremely difficult for him to finish his years of higher education. That's when he promised himself:
“... I'll never go through that again, I'm going to do everything I can to get out of it and have a good life...”
Arun went to Phnom Penh and worked as a guard for the Aviation Company belonging to the royal family.
This gave him a place to sleep at night, but during the day he was out on the street. To be able to eat, he used a little of his salary to feed himself (300 riels as a daily budget = 0.10 US cents). But little by little, he made a name for himself and did a lot of extra work: washing cars, cleaning floors, cutting grass, etc. Three months later, Mr B. asked him to become a caretaker.
His salary was then almost entirely devoted to his studies. Out of a total of 40 dollars a month, he divides his expenses as follows: 15 dollars for food, 18 dollars for learning to read, speak and write English (3 hours of lessons a week), and the rest for buying books.
Several jobs
In 2001, he met Princess Ermine Norodom. He became her personal guard until 2002. Later, having been noticed for his qualities, he was offered an administrative post in another company, where he worked as an administrative assistant for two years. But unfortunately, in 2006, the company went bankrupt and he had to find another job.
He then spent two years in another company, this time as a sales assistant. But fate struck again and the company went bankrupt.
He then found a job in a pizzeria, where he learned all the tricks of the trade, from making pizzas to selling them, as well as all the marketing aspects. He had two jobs, in the pizzeria and working alongside the princess as a caretaker.
From 2008 to 2009, he worked as a communications and publicity officer for the English Learning School. From 2009 to 2010, he worked at the Soksabay restaurant. But the difficult conditions - long hours and night work - meant he couldn't continue.
A better life
When Princess Ermine Norodom opened the Hôtel le Marais. Arun's life improved considerably. He earned a good salary, and learned management and the ropes of entrepreneurship. He also works alongside the Princess for the Shanty Town Spirit programme. This project is an initiative of the Princess to help families in the slums of Phnom Penh.
When the hotel closed, Arun decided to set up his own business. He started selling property. It was difficult at first, but little by little his income increased. He worked hard, didn't count the hours and promised himself that this time he would succeed. He currently has 13 employees, whom he trains himself. He pays them a good salary and teaches them how to work properly.
Arun says he is proud of his career and happy to have met the princess. In fact, he has never stopped working for the NGO Shanty Town Spirit. He is the administrative director and spokesperson for the princess, and is always there when Ermine needs him. In the shanty towns supported by the association, Arun is listened to very carefully, because the inhabitants know that he has also experienced poverty and precariousness. Some members of the community, especially the children, sometimes cite him as an example:
“... he has managed to succeed even though he comes from poverty...”, they say.
Princess Ermine Norodom has nothing but praise for her loyal collaborator:
“We work well together, we understand each other, and he helps me enormously. He's a man with a big heart, who doesn't look at what he might get in return for what he gives. He gives for the simple joy of giving...”.
And Arun says exactly the same thing about Princess Ermine: “... a person with a big heart, who gives without ever looking for something in return...”, he declares.
For the future, Arun wants his son to learn and follow his example: be good, work hard, don't trust too much, just enough, and don't give everything away. He also needs to know how to keep things to himself.
Interview by Nathalie Bonpain - Shanty Town Spirit
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