Samnang is a client who came from an extremely unfortunate and severely abusive family background, spending many years living on the streets of Phnom Penh, first begging to cover his father’s living expenses and later for his mother. When his mother was placed in a government shelter for adults with mental illness, he had to accompany her.

She grew up in a difficult environment, living with her mother, stepfather, and two stepsiblings. As the eldest child in the family she was burdened with excessive household chores and treated like a servant, even by her own mother. Her situation worsened when her stepfather began physically abusing her, often without cause, while the rest of the family ignored her suffering.