We have been contacted by Danny Spitler from the Spitler school, who has given us this story for our site. Tomorrow we will be offering the story of a pupil at the Spitler school, so you can see first hand the influence this remarkable man has had. For now, read Sarin’s Story.

“Mr. Chea Sarin, known as Sarin, has been the administrator of the Spitler School since the school began in 2005.  At 39 years old he lives a very busy life earning his living as a registered tour guide. While Sarin loves sharing the beauty, history and culture of his country with his clients he also spends much of his time fulfilling his dream to improve the lives of children.

“With the help and support of his wife, Mary, and their two beautiful daughters, Vita and Vitee, he has accomplished an amazing feat of building a privately funded primary school which serves over 500 children.   What he has accomplished is even more amazing when you consider what he had to endure during the first few years of his life.   Those were years filled with tragedy and sadness, not only for Sarin and his family, but for everyone in Cambodia.
Sarin was born in 1974 and was the youngest of a large family with one older brother and six sisters.  One year after Sarin’s birth the Khmer Rouge, under the leadership of Pol Pot. came into force.   When Sarin was only two years old his father was executed as the Khmer Rouge extremists went on a bloody genocide to rid the country of anyone with an education, whom they viewed a threat.   Aside from the hundreds of thousands of killings, many people died indirectly at the hands of the Khmer Rouge due to starvation and disease.   Sadly Sarin’s brother and one of his sisters succumbed to overwork and starvation at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.

“The Khmer Rouge was defeated in 1979 but sadly this did not mark the end of Sarin’s unhappy childhood because in 1981, when Sarin was seven years old, Vietnam came to help and liberated Cambodia from Khmer Rouge regime and re-established the infrastructure.  Sarin’s family decided to make the 125-kilometer walk to the border of Thailand in search of safety.   The journey was hazardous since the countryside was blanketed with land mines, and the travelling refugees were in constant danger of being caught in fighting zones and bombings.

“After travelling many days Sarin’s family found refuge in a UN camp, but life in the camps was also hazardous.   At the age of eight, during his time at the camp, Sarin was sitting with his mother when a bullet came out of nowhere striking him in the arm.  His uncle carried him to the nearest hospital where he received medical treatment and made a full recovery, although he still carries the scar from this frightening experience.

“Still living in the camp, Sarin decided at the age of 12 to leave his family and live with Buddhist monks in order to gain an education, and his mother became a Buddhist nun.
Three years later Sarin moved to an orphanage supported by a Japanese NGO which housed some 150 children.  Sarin received a good education, and he was supplied with clothes, shoes and school supplies.

“He graduated from school at the age of 18 and returned to his home town and eventually moved to Phnom Penh where found jobs in the hospitality industry.  During his time in Phnom Penh, Sarin suffered from a case of typhoid fever, which is very common in Cambodia due to the lack of clean water and sanitation.   His experienced added to his passion for helping others have access to clean water.

“Sarin returned home, saved enough money to return to school, and enrolled in a tourism school.  In 1999 he passed his exams and received his guide license.  He moved to Siem Reap as the tourism industry was beginning to flourish.   By 2001 tourism was increasing and Sarin began earning a steady income.  He met and married his wife Mary in a traditional Khmer wedding ceremony.

“Sarin met many kind travelers while he was acting as a tour guide. Sometimes he would take them to visit Ang Chagn village, which was deemed to be one of the poorest communities in the Siem Reap area.  When visitors learned of the diseases that many of the children endured due to the lack of clean water many were willing to contribute funds for small domestic water wells.  Sarin was able to coordinate and supervise a number of these water well projects.   In 2005 Sarin established an NGO called CMP so that his water well projects could be legally recognized and supported.   Since establishing the NGO Sarin has raised funds and supervised the drilling of approximately 150 water wells throughout Siem Reap and in his home town.

“It was during these visits to poor villages that it became apparent to Sarin that very few children went to school.  At one point he approached some boys who were fishing in the nearby canal and asked them why they were not attending school.  They explained that the nearest school was too far away, and that their families could not afford the school uniform or supplies needed to attend.  Sarin asked if they would attend school if there was one nearby which provided uniforms and supplies to which they replied yes.  It was at this stage that Sarin had the idea of building a local school in Ang Chagn village.

“In early 2005 Sarin served as a guide for Danny and Pam Spitler, who were touring throughout Southeast Asia.  They were happy to make a contribution to allow Sarin to drill three water wells for needy villages, and they communicated regularly with Sarin upon their return home to Arizona in the USA.

“During the spring of 2005 Sarin contacted the Spitlers to ask if they would consider assisting him to build a school. The Spitler family agreed to help fund the construction of a small school room with two teachers, but when almost 200 children showed up to attend school the project quickly expanded.  Over the next six years the school has continued to expand under Sarin’s leadership.  The Spitlers have successfully raised funding to match the ongoing needs for buildings, staffing, and numerous other school and community projects that have greatly benefited hundreds of children and their families in the Ang Chagn village.

“In 2006 Irvin Spitler, Danny’s father, provided scholarship funds for Sarin to attend the University in Siem Reap where he graduated with an Bachelor’s Degree in Business.
Sarin is extremely thankful that his daughters are able to have the happy and carefree upbringing that he never had.  His eldest daughter Vita is eleven years old and is described by Sarin as having a good heart, often using her pocket money to buy presents for her less fortunate classmates.  When Vita grows up she plans to follow in her father’s footsteps by helping support projects in the local community.

“Sarin’s mother, who is now 79 years old, continues to live at the temples in her home town.  She and Sarin’s four surviving sisters are very proud of Sarin and all that he has accomplished.”

For more information on the Spitler foundation and the school see http://spitlerschool.org/ We have taken the photos used to illustrate this article from there with thanks