Help Cambodian Villagers, Garment Factory Workers
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The Ung Family/Kompong Speu GoFundMe Campaign to help Cambodian villagers and garment factory workers.
Hello, GoFundMe community. Thank you for visiting this page. My name is Loung Ung. I am a Cambodian-American activist and author of 'First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers' and the co-screenplay writer of the Netflix Original Movie of the same name.
I have never started a GoFundMe before, but my siblings and I are too sad not to do anything. So we created this fundraising campaign to help the most vulnerable people in Cambodia affected by the country lockdown. Please know that 100% of the funds we raise will go directly to those who need it. Our goal is to help the people in the village, especially the many women who work in the garment factories near our village in Kompong Speu province in Cambodia.
As a writer and activist, I hope to increase awareness of the Khmer Rouge Genocide and encourage people to fall in love with all things Cambodia. I was fortunate to be born in this beautiful country and gained much from its rich culture, history, music, art, spirits, and soulful people. However, when I was five years old, the Khmer Rouge communists took over the country. From April 17, 1975 to January 7, 1979—through execution, starvation, disease, and forced labor—the soldiers systemically killed an estimate of two million people, almost a fourth of the country's population. Among the victims were both my parents, two sisters and twenty other relatives.
We Cambodians are a nation of survivors. But even the strongest among us need help, especially during this time. Like many countries in our world, Cambodia is suffering from the Coronavirus pandemic. Though the number of confirmed cases—5,218 and 36 recorded deaths —seem small compared to other countries, Cambodia's health community doctors are quickly becoming overwhelmed. Authorities reports that hospitals were running out of beds, prompting them to turn schools and wedding party halls into treatment centers. "We are on the brink of death already," Hun Sen, Cambodia's Prime Minister said.
In response, the government imposed a lockdown in the capital city of Phnom Penh and other surrounding cities for two weeks. This means millions of Cambodians are not permitted to leave their homes except to go to the hospital, buy medicine, or food. In the countryside, the virus has infected 50 garment factory workers. This has alarmed people as these factories provide millions of jobs, and many workers live in closed quarters, or travel to and from work in tightly packed trucks. Often with no social distancing and with 30 to 40 people crammed in one truck.
My sister Chou’s fruit market sits adjacent to a bus stop dropping off many migrant workers in our village. She knows many of the returnees and their desperate situations well, and has given help when she could. Now all the Ung siblings are joining her effort. A gift of 25$ will help feed a family in the village for one week, and 50$ will support them for two weeks, the time we hope the lockdown will end. 100% of your donation will go to support villagers and their families. We know our small fund cannot help everyone, but it will make a huge difference to 100 - 200 most vulnerable families. Again, 100% of the funds we raise will go directly to those who need it most. If you are not in a situation to give, I understand and thank you for reading this.
I wish you and all yours good health and peace wherever you are.
~ Loung Ung
www.LoungUng.com
Hello, GoFundMe community. Thank you for visiting this page. My name is Loung Ung. I am a Cambodian-American activist and author of 'First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers' and the co-screenplay writer of the Netflix Original Movie of the same name.
I have never started a GoFundMe before, but my siblings and I are too sad not to do anything. So we created this fundraising campaign to help the most vulnerable people in Cambodia affected by the country lockdown. Please know that 100% of the funds we raise will go directly to those who need it. Our goal is to help the people in the village, especially the many women who work in the garment factories near our village in Kompong Speu province in Cambodia.
As a writer and activist, I hope to increase awareness of the Khmer Rouge Genocide and encourage people to fall in love with all things Cambodia. I was fortunate to be born in this beautiful country and gained much from its rich culture, history, music, art, spirits, and soulful people. However, when I was five years old, the Khmer Rouge communists took over the country. From April 17, 1975 to January 7, 1979—through execution, starvation, disease, and forced labor—the soldiers systemically killed an estimate of two million people, almost a fourth of the country's population. Among the victims were both my parents, two sisters and twenty other relatives.
We Cambodians are a nation of survivors. But even the strongest among us need help, especially during this time. Like many countries in our world, Cambodia is suffering from the Coronavirus pandemic. Though the number of confirmed cases—5,218 and 36 recorded deaths —seem small compared to other countries, Cambodia's health community doctors are quickly becoming overwhelmed. Authorities reports that hospitals were running out of beds, prompting them to turn schools and wedding party halls into treatment centers. "We are on the brink of death already," Hun Sen, Cambodia's Prime Minister said.
In response, the government imposed a lockdown in the capital city of Phnom Penh and other surrounding cities for two weeks. This means millions of Cambodians are not permitted to leave their homes except to go to the hospital, buy medicine, or food. In the countryside, the virus has infected 50 garment factory workers. This has alarmed people as these factories provide millions of jobs, and many workers live in closed quarters, or travel to and from work in tightly packed trucks. Often with no social distancing and with 30 to 40 people crammed in one truck.
My sister Chou’s fruit market sits adjacent to a bus stop dropping off many migrant workers in our village. She knows many of the returnees and their desperate situations well, and has given help when she could. Now all the Ung siblings are joining her effort. A gift of 25$ will help feed a family in the village for one week, and 50$ will support them for two weeks, the time we hope the lockdown will end. 100% of your donation will go to support villagers and their families. We know our small fund cannot help everyone, but it will make a huge difference to 100 - 200 most vulnerable families. Again, 100% of the funds we raise will go directly to those who need it most. If you are not in a situation to give, I understand and thank you for reading this.
I wish you and all yours good health and peace wherever you are.
~ Loung Ung
www.LoungUng.com
Organiser
Loung Ung
Organiser
Cleveland, OH