Tola, 11 years old, is a grade 5 student at Karuna Kumar School, Green Umbrella. Tola was born in Pot Sar Commune. Takeo province, and is a hard studying student. He is always very attentive during lessons and concentrates on what he is learning. His favorite subject is Mathematics and he has a great talent for drawing and coloring. Beside studying, Tola always helps to cook rice at home and runs errands like going to the local shop to buy food for his parents and younger brothers.

Tola has 5 younger siblings (including a new born) and his younger brother studies grade 3 at a local public school. The rest of his siblings are still young and do not yet attend school. Normally, Tola rides his bike about 1 kilometer to and from school. Unfortunately, as schools are currently closed due to the pandemic, he needs to study online. Due to his family’s financial situation, Tola does not have access to a smartphone for his online learning, so he goes to the home of another KKS student to study.

Tola’s father, who is 38 years old and unable to find work at this time, often goes to catch fish in the lake to sell in order to get money for food. The lake is about 5 kilometers from the village and he sells the fish to his friends and neighbors. 

Total’s mother is 35 years old and is a housewife. Sadly, she was diagnosed with Covid-19 when giving birth to her sixth child. His parents need to stay in the hospital with the new born, while Tola quarantines at home with his other four siblings and 60 years old grandmother.

His grandmother tell us that she has no income for food, while she looks after her 5 grandchildren because their parents need to stay at the hospital with the new baby.

She was so happy to receive Food Kits from Green Umbrella and wants to thank donors for their kindness to Tola’s family. She tell us that words cannot express her feelings as she graciously accepted the food items.