Ravy Leang-Slattery contracted polio while growing up in the poverty-stricken village of Ansaong.
In 2010, the Cambodian national was attending a disability conference in Phnom Penh when she met and fell in love with Hoppers Crossing resident Wayne Slattery.
Ravy moved to Australia with Wayne but never forgot where she came from.
In 2012, the couple began collecting wheelchairs to take to Cambodia, but Ravy wanted to do more … her dream was to provide better education for her people. It was then that the Dreams Come True community education centre was born.
“The kids in Ansaong go to school for only a couple of years, to learn some Khmer and some arithmetic, then the boys go off to work as farmers or labourers and the girls work in garment factories,” Ravy said.
Her husband said the couple wanted to give young people a better chance, with a school that teaches computers and English.
A building in Ansaong to house volunteer teachers is nearing completion, and construction of the school is set to begin soon.
Sixteen computers have already been bought, with 200 students expected to start their first year of secondary education when the school opens. Six-hundred students are on the waiting list for grades one to six. And Cambodians with disabilities will be employed to raise awareness of disabilities in the region.
The privately funded project is expected to be completed early next year. Anyone interested in volunteering at the school (free accommodation provided) or wanting to donate, can contact the Slatterys via email at wayneslattery1@bigpond.com
