Orn-uma: From a Childhood Dream to a Life of Teaching
Every child deserves more than survival. Every child deserves the chance to learn, to dream, and to imagine a future beyond the limits of their circumstances. When a community nurtures learning, when children are supported at the right time with care, opportunity, and encouragement, they grow into adults who are confident, capable, and ready to give back. This belief has long guided the work of World Vision Foundation of Thailand, and the life of Orn-uma stands as a powerful testament to what that belief can become.
As a young girl, Orn-uma loved to play “teacher.” Using sticks as chalk and the ground as her blackboard, she would gather her friends and pretend to teach lessons she herself was still learning. In those simple childhood games, a quiet dream took shape: one day, she hoped to become a teacher and share knowledge with others. At the time, it felt like a fragile wish, beautiful, but distant.
Orn-uma was born into a Khmu family in a remote area. Her father was a devoted pastor who dedicated his life to serving God and his community. His work brought spiritual guidance, but no financial security. To support his family, he spent long days working in the cornfields, doing whatever he could to provide. Life was modest and often uncertain. In a household where resources were limited, education was valued deeply, yet difficult to sustain. The dream of continuing school, let alone pursuing higher education, felt far beyond reach.
“I wore the same school uniform until it was worn out, torn, or too tight to wear,” Orn-uma recalls, her smile carrying both warmth and resilience. School supplies were precious. Every notebook mattered. Every opportunity to stay in class felt hard-won.\
Then, in Grade 3, everything began to change.
Through sponsorship, Orn-uma received new school uniforms, shoes, and learning materials each year. These practical supports eased the daily burden her family carried, allowing her to focus on learning rather than worrying about what she lacked. But beyond the physical items, sponsorship gave her something even more powerful: consistency, encouragement, and the belief that her education mattered.
That support stayed with her year after year, quietly strengthening her resolve. With each grade she completed, Orn-uma grew more confident. The path ahead, once blurred by uncertainty, began to take shape. Education was no longer a distant dream, it was a journey she could walk, step by step.
The little girl who once struggled to stay in school continued to move forward, guided by determination and sustained by opportunity. Today, she stands where she once imagined herself as a child, now known as Teacher Orn-uma, a dedicated educator at Ban Mueang Kan School in a remote area. Each day, she steps into the classroom carrying not only lessons from textbooks, but the weight of her own lived experience.
“I was once given a chance,” she says. “Now, as a teacher, I will use the knowledge and opportunities I received to give back to children to the best of my ability, because every child deserves a quality education, even in the most remote areas.”
For Orn-uma, teaching is more than a profession. It is a promise, to stand beside children who, like her younger self, are full of potential but limited by circumstance. It is her way of ensuring that no child’s dream remains out of reach simply because of where they were born.
Her story reminds us that sponsorship is never just a momentary act of support. It is a seed of hope, one that takes root in a child’s life, grows through years of care and commitment, and eventually bears fruit that nourishes entire communities. Through Orn-uma, that seed continues to grow, shaping futures far beyond her own.