Ngean Yary age 18 years old.
Yary's parents both had HIV, so when she was born, she was also infected with this disease. Yary's mother died when we she was young, and her father moved the family to Phnom Penh so that he would be able to find work. Yary's mother had borrowed money to support the family and buy them medications, but when she died, the burden of repaying the debt fell to Yary. She has to work as a nanny for a year for a rich family to be able to pay back the money, However this house was not safe for her, as her employer often tried to rape her and would get violently angry with her when she refused him. Yary became too scared to go back, and sought help from the community to find her a new home.
With the aid of her neighbors and the local authorities, Yary was moved to the Centre at the age of sixteen. She began vocational training to become a seamstress, but soon after found her passion - cooking. She completed vocational training to work in a restaurant and has now been working for many months. Her initial salary of $20 a month was not enough for her to support herself, but now that she has more experience, Yary makes almost $85 a month. The staff at CCASVA are working to help Yary reintegrate back into her community, now that she has steady job and is able to provide for herself.