By Heng Sreylin Cambodianess February 5, 2025  

Chheoun Sovanna

SIEM REAP – Chheoun Sovanna is a third-year management student whose tuition and living expenses are made possible by an unusual job: rowing tourist boats.

“It’s been my source of support since I was 16,” she says.  In the Kampong Phluk Ecotourism Community of Siem Reap province, Sovanna joins a network of mostly elderly women, including her grandmother and aunt, who navigate the waterways.

She tries to balance a demanding university course load with a job that starts early.  Sovanna’s weekdays begin at 7 am, ferrying tourists through the magical floating mangrove forest of Tonle Sap Lake, all while attending classes on the weekends.

“It’s a unique and exciting experience,” she explains, describing the captivating journey through this waterlogged world.

A mere $6 buys two people a 45-minute trip through this natural wonder.  And here’s the best part: “$3 of that fee goes directly back into supporting the community,” Sovanna emphasizes.

She rows twice on weekdays and up to four times on holidays, often welcoming visitors from Russia, China, and France.

While her earnings significantly offset her daily expenses, Sovanna’s family still covers her school fees.

But Kampong Phluk offers so much more than just boat rides.

“Visitors can also enjoy dining at floating restaurants, plant tree saplings during the low tide season, experience homestays, immerse themselves in local life, and witness breathtaking sunrises and sunsets over Tonle Sap Lake,” she says excitedly.

Just 19 kilometers from Siem Reap city, in Kampong Phluk commune, Prasat Bakong district, this thriving community faces a seasonal challenge.

During the dry season, the water levels drop, making boat tours around the village—and thus, Sovanna’s livelihood—more difficult.

https://cambodianess.com/article/balancing-books-and-boats-one-students-fight-for-education

SOURCE: Cambodianess, Cambodia February 5, 2025

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