Both of Buoy Ly’s parents died of AIDS-related causes. For many years, she was abused because of the stigma and fear surrounding the disease. Now, thanks to an AIDS education and support program led by World Vision in her community, Buoy Ly no longer suffers from discrimination.

October 2009

By Vichheka Sok, World Vision Cambodia, and Jane Larson, World Vision U.S.

Buoy Ly, 12, is a spunky girl with an infectious grin. Looking at her, one would never dream that she has AIDS.

When Buoy Ly was just 4 years old, her mother died of AIDS. “I cannot remember my mother’s face because I was [too young] when she died,” says the girl.

A few years later, Buoy Ly’s father died. “He was tall with a fair complexion. I miss him,” she recalls.

After the deaths of her parents, Buoy Ly had no one left but her brother, Huot Ly, who was 8 years old at the time. Unable to care for themselves, the children both had to live with their aunt, who treated them cruelly because she feared AIDS. She used violence to force the children to work. “Often, we were both pinched and scolded when we failed to do something,” Buoy Ly explains.

“My aunt’s family business was making ice blocks,” she continues. “They also raised poultry and animals such as chickens, cows, and pigs. My brother and I took care of the animals. With so much work to do, we had no time to read books, and sometimes we did not go to school.”

Isolated by fear

To the people in the rural village where Buoy Ly lives, the AIDS pandemic was shrouded in ambiguity and fear. In Cambodia, an estimated 100 people are infected with HIV every day. Often, those who have the disease are ostracized by their communities, and fear leads people to behave cruelly toward those who were once their family members and friends. This cycle of abandonment continues on to the children orphaned by the disease.

With little understanding of AIDS, Buoy Ly’s aunt kept the children isolated from her own family. “My brother and I were not allowed to eat with the family or watch television with them,” says Buoy Ly. “We were given separate plates and different food. We were never allowed to join the family because they were scared of getting the disease.”

The entire time that they lived with their aunt, the children were forced to sleep outside near a dirty chicken cage. The unsanitary conditions had a negative effect on Buoy Ly.

Huot Ly says his sister’s health was very bad during that time. “Buoy Ly was very skinny with scab[s] covering her whole body and head,” he recalls. “[The family] just wanted to make life difficult for us so we would leave their house.”

At last, the opportunity did arrive for the children to leave, and they moved in with a different aunt.

Finding hope

When Huot Ly and Buoy Ly moved into the home of their aunt, Neung Hor, things began to change for the better. Neung Hor lives in a district in Cambodia where World Vision has been working in the community to educate people about AIDS and assist those affected by the disease. Instead of pushing the children away, Neung Hor gladly welcomed them into her home as if they were her own children.

Right away, the World Vision staff in the area found Buoy Ly and recognized that health care was urgently needed. For the first time in her life, Buoy Ly received treatment for HIV and learned how to care for her health and hygiene. Buoy Ly and her brother were also regularly given food from the World Vision HIV and AIDS project for orphans and vulnerable children in the area.

Buoy Ly became much healthier after a few short weeks of treatment. Soon, World Vision provided the siblings with a bicycle to ride to school. The children began to look forward to each new day instead of dreading harsh treatment and isolation.

Dreams for the future

“I am improving now,” says Buoy Ly. “I keep myself clean, and my aunt helps me remember to take my pills.”

After attending school during the day, Buoy Ly and her brother return home to assist their aunt by selling cakes in the village to help earn extra income. Unlike their previous situation, this is work that the children enjoy, and Huot Ly says that he is pleased that he and his sister can go to school and help earn money for their aunt.

“Buoy Ly earns about $1.25 for a half day,” says Huot Ly, “and I earn $2.50. Sometimes our aunt does not let us work at all if she sees we are tired from school.”

In the evening when the children return home, their aunt helps them with their schoolwork. “My dream is to become a good teacher,” says Buoy Ly. “I want to be someone who works in a high position.”

The third grader’s dream will take lots of hard work to achieve, but this spunky young girl is no stranger to challenges. “To become a teacher in the future, I must study well,” she says.

Buoy Ly also knows that she will have to continue overcoming the barrier of AIDS. However, because of World Vision’s work in her village, she knows things have already changed for the better. With a confident smile, this once-frail and sad orphaned child now says, “I am very happy.”