‘A Tale of Two Brothers’
Friends-International teams come together, ensuring the protection of two young boys facing huge medical and emotional challenges.
Two Cambodian brothers, aged 9 and 13, had been staying at a government shelter for boys in Thailand, waiting to be sent back home. The younger boy was taken ill, and after the shocking diagnosis of a brain tumor he was rushed to hospital.
For the 13-year-old, everything changed overnight. His little brother was lone and afraid in a hospital, and he was left at the shelter trying to understand why. Shelter staff called Peuan Peuan, our Friends Alliance Thai program for support and help.
A Peuan Peuan social worker came to the shelter to sit with the older boy and help him cope with all the fear and confusion he was feeling. Staff also set up video calls so the brothers could still see each other’s faces. For two children far from home, it was a lifeline.
Hundreds of kilometers away in Phnom Penh, a team from Mith Samlanh, another Friends Alliance sister program based in Cambodia, reached out to the boys’ mother who lived in the city. She had no job, was caring for a six-year-old daughter, and was also looking after her disabled partner. Mith Samlanh social workers helped her set up a phone app so she could talk to her sons herself.
Then came a new hurdle: Thai doctors needed her written consent to treat her son. Peuan Peuan translated the documents, and Mith Samlanh helped the mother read, sign and return them across the border. The hospital got its permission without delay.
(photo for illustrative purposes only – does not depict actual events in the story)
After talks between Thailand’s Department of Children and Youth and the shelter, the decision was made to send both boys home. The next day, Peuan Peuan and shelter staff accompanied them to the border at Poipet. On the Cambodian side, Mith Samlanh had arranged transport and food so their mother could be there to meet them.
Once home, the younger boy was referred to a children’s hospital in Phnom Penh, where he is still very ill yet receiving specialist care. Mith Samlanh continues to support the family.
There is hope for the future with the help of Mith Samlanh. His older brother is looking for ways to return to school. After everything, he still has a dream: he wants to become a chef, and Mith Samlanh will support him however they can, to eventually achieve his dream.
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