Sokha Sim prepares to leave for Cambodia. 73833 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By XAVIER SMERDON
A BRAVE Tarneit woman with a difficult childhood is proving that it is possible to overcome anything and is now planning on giving back.
Sokha Sim was born in Cambodia and at just six-months-old she was diagnosed with polio after her parents were told she was too young to be vaccinated.
She now wears calipers on her legs and requires crutches to help her walk.
In 1996 Sokha arrived in Australia and since then she has completed a Diploma of Tourism at the Werribee Campus of Victoria University.
With her tourism qualifications in hand, Sokha is now embarking on a trip back to Cambodia to teach English for a month at an orphanage with the Humanitarian One Per Cent Annual Expedition in February next year.
Sokha said her battle with polio had made her a stronger person.
“I try to stay positive and I tell myself that I’m like everybody else,” Sokha said.
“I try to push myself harder and I won’t let this stop me from doing what I want.”
The determined young woman said she decided to go back to Cambodia to volunteer so she could help others reach their full potential.
“I feel like I want to help people in Cambodia get an education,” she said.
“I want to give them a good life so they can use their education to help themselves.”
The Rotary Club of Hoppers Crossing helped Sokha reach her goal by donating half of the cost of her airfares for the trip.
