23 Years Old
Village: Preang Kong
Commune: Bosh Sbov
District: Sereysophon
Province: Bantheay Meanchey
Training: Motorbike Repair
Injury: Polio
Prior to his training with Lom Orng [then named CWARS], Tep was a fisherman. He would generally earn around 5000 Riel per kilo at the markets for his catch. On a successful day he would catch between 1-2 kilos of fish.
Since completing his training, Tep is able to earn 30,000 Riel per day repairing motorbikes. He has been a diligent businessman since graduating, and has been able to save enough money to expand his workshop, and now has purchased a generator. He uses the generator to recharge batteries for the families in his area, which are the only sources of power for these families. He can repair and resell batteries to supplement his income. He has also managed to save enough money to purchase welding equipment.
Hang Tep found the first 3 or 4 months of his training extremely challenging, but graduated finally will the skills of a seasoned repairer. He is extremely grateful for the chance to train with Lom Orng, and for the many friends he made during his training. He is currently using the money he saves to build a new house behind his workshop, so he can get married and start a family.
Tep was a happy and smiling young man who obviously was proud of his work and determined to make a comfortable new life for himself. The pride in his new foun d independace and confidence was extremely apparent, and was great to see. Once again this illustrated to me that the students take much more than work skills with them when they leave the CWARS training facility.