A long-term commitment
Since he was 19 years old, Luis has dedicated 6 weeks a year to the children of Pour un Sourire d'Enfant. The first year, in 2015, Luis had heard about the association from a childhood friend who had gone to the summer camps. Seeing the joy in his friend's stories, Luis decided to sign up as a counsellor. Since then, he has returned every year: "PSE is one of the few NGOs where you feel so good. Moreover, the impact that the association has on the children is visible. Each year, I am given more and more responsibilities, which motivates me even more to continue here. He first left as a counsellor, then became a coordinator and supervisor of the PSE camps.
PSE Camps in 2022
This year, due to Covid, the school holidays have been moved to December, transforming the Summer Camps into Winter Camps. This has been a challenge for the organisers, especially concerning the recruitment of European monitors: "This is also an opportunity for us to renew the Summer Camps. Because of the lower number of European monitors, the Khmer monitors had more responsibilities, which was ideal for them to develop their skills, their self-confidence...".
2023, the beginning of a new adventure with PSE
Since his first year at PSE, Luis knew he wanted to work at PSE. But he wanted to finish his studies so that he could bring in more skills. Finally, in January 2023, Luis will start his new mission as a management assistant to Leakhena des Pallières: "I'm sure I'll be here for a long time, at least 2 years for now". Thanks to his many experiences of summer camps, Luis already knows the PSE team, the children and the Cambodian culture well.
"If I had to describe PSE, I would use Papy's phrase "PSE is a real machine to destroy misery". Indeed, PSE has a real impact on the lives of children. Everyone can see the difference between before and after. Karuna, a PSE student I know very well, illustrates this perfectly. She came to PSE at the age of 8 and now works in a bank in Phnom Penh as a Finance Officer. I am therefore very happy to be part of this wonderful adventure".
