Sophanny Tum

Community Coordinator

Sophanny Tum was born in 1968 and comes from a family of five siblings. Her oldest brother was killed during the Pol Pot Regime (Khmer Rouge). In 1979, after the first Vietnamese invasion to Cambodia, Sophanny’s family moved from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, then two years later they moved to the Norng Chan refugee camp near the Cambodia & Thailand border. As a 13 year old girl, her family was accepted to immigrate to the United States but her father was very sick by that time. Her father asked her mother to take their children to the United States, but as a family they decided to stay with their father. In 1983, the Vietnamese invaded their refugee camp, so they escaped to another camp only to be invaded again. This happened several more times until they reached the Saiy B camp. Sophanny’s family lived in poverty and the fear of war. They lacked shelter and food to eat, even with help from the United Nations. Sophanny had a late start to education because of the circumstances. They did not have a school or a proper classroom, and their teacher taught them under a tree. When it rained, they had to stop until the rain stopped, then they would sit in the mud and continue lessons. She attended school until 7th grade, then married her husband. Sophanny and her husband have three daughters and are grandparents to one grandson. Sophanny has been with our Foundation since 2014. Her personal experiences make her a very compassionate and passionate volunteer!