Poverty is the biggest enemy of education due to the fact that it is both the cause and effect of lack of education. Not having enough financial means to pay school fees and buy school supplies can hinder a child from going to school. As a result, not getting an education can diminish a child’s opportunity for a better life in the future. As parents, it is our responsibility to send our children to school and ensure that they’re getting proper education. We need to make both ends meet just to provide everything they need in school. But what would you do when you could no longer afford to buy school supplies? A Cambodian father will show you that nothing is impossible with determination and a creative mind. In order to save money on a backpack, he cleverly creates one by using raffia strings.
This heartwarming story was shared by a primary school teacher Sophous Suon from Cambodia. On the first day of school, she immediately noticed the unusual backpack of 5-year-old NY Keng. It turned out that the bag was hand-made by the boy’s father who works as a farmer. By obtaining fibers from the leaves of the raffia palm, Cambodian farmers produce natural strings or ropes called raffia strings. NY Keng’s father brilliantly made use of available resources to create a backpack for his son. By weaving the raffia strings, he was able to make a simple yet beautiful school bag.
Five-year-old primary pupil NY Keng wears the raffia strings backpack that was made by his father
Suon explains that a school bag typically costs 30000 riels ($7) in Cambodia. And there are parents who can’t afford that. Instead of buying one, NY Keng’s father found an alternative that would save him that much money. Suon thought that the creative use of raffia strings in making backpacks is worth sharing. When she posted the photos of the raffia string backpack, the post instantly went viral. Touched by the story of a father’s commitment to send his son to school, people began to share the post on social media. Some compassionate people even offered to send bags to NY Keng.
Here’s what people had to say about the father’s creativity:
Source: Facebook