From Scavenger Granny to Apsara Granny
Granny Mao, 104
Granny Raksa, 79
Granny Mao, 104
At 104 years old, Granny Mao is known to her villagers as a joyful, and a remarkable woman of her own kind considering her life journey is nothing less of resilience. Granny Mao lost her beloved husband and her six children during the Khmer Rouge regime. Despite the loss, she miraculously survived the regime with her remaining four children. Granny Mao was left with nothing, no blood, and no relatives. To survive, she worked as a scavenger around the rubbish dumpsite at the Steung Meanchey with her youngest daughter. She sold recycled bottles on the street for money, and barely earned any money to feed herself.
Now living past a century, Granny Mao is with the Granny Program with Cambodia Children’s Fund (CCF), courtesy to Scott Nesson, Founder of CCF. She is the oldest among 90 grannies at CCF. With light shedding over her wrinkles filled with life experiences, this one-hundred-year old Apsara, is living in comfort with CCF in Phnom Penh.
Granny Raksa, 79
Granny Raksa, is your friendly, neighborhood grandma that will feed you, and would ask you to pack all the food home. She is loved by the other grannies at Cambodian Children’s Fund. Granny Raksa also mentored a group of young women in the CCF’s Girls2Grannies (G2G) program. The young girls adore lok yiey (Khmer for Granny) Raksa and all of the children at the program look up to her as a role model. Granny Reaksa, 79, is also a survivor of the Pol Pot regime. She lost parents, husband, siblings, and even children all within this gruesome regime. She became a scavenger at the dumpsite in Phnom Penh, barely scratching a living from selling recycled scrapes around the city.
Post-Khmer Rouge regime, Granny Raksa has dealt with long-time depression and trauma. Now, she found her peace and a sense of being with CCF through the weekly Buddhist monks blessing at the community center. We are in awe of the beautiful smiles of Granny’ Raksa in the studio.
