This is the true story of a young Cambodian woman who has challenged her country’s social and cultural norms throughout her life, and as a consequence has become an ambassador for women empowerment.
Growing up on an island south of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, removed from many of the conveniences of modern life and surrounded by traditional customs and thought, Thavry’s story is one of inspiration to women and girls around the world.
As Cambodia slowly recovers from the great turmoil and destruction of civil war and the Khmer Rouge, rural life has largely returned to familiar, century-old ways. For women, this means marrying young, bearing children and working on the family farm, with little say in any life decisions..
But with support from Thavry’s parents, whose own childhood experiences were greatly shaped by the four years of Khmer Rouge rule, Thavry was taught to value education as a means of breaking from the confines of the village and to forge her own independent future.
Her inspiring story shows that encouraging young women to believe in their dreams – and supporting them to do so – can lead to a freedom to learn and grow unknown to earlier generations.