Phoeun Sela age 16 years old.Sela came to the Centre for Child Development (CCD) in 2007, after living her whole life in Borei Keila, one of Phnom Penh's many slums. Her and her three siblings lived with their mother and step-father after their father died. They lived in a small one-room home, with barely enough room for them all to sleep on the floor. The government had promised to build new houses for people living in Sela's slum but they did not build enough, so Sela and her family continued to live in poor conditions, Unfortunately Sela's home was very dangerous for her, as she witnessed her step-father abuse her mother almost every day. Sela often lived in fear that her step-father would abuse her as well,and he tried to rape her
many times. Sela was moved to the Centre to help protect her from the dangers of living at home. Now sixteen years old, she has excelled in her six years at the Centre. She studies very hard and has progressed from Grade 1 to Grade 8. She enjoys cooking, and always maintains a positive attitude, interacting happily with the other children and staff. Sela does not want to go back to living in her slum, but she also worries about the safety of her siblings. Sela loves to study and learn, so in the future, she wants to become a teacher. She hopes to make enough money to help support her siblings and remove them from their dangerous home.