<p><strong>We believe that by giving children the right tools, we can help them to build a better future. We’re aiming to raise $60,000 by the end of June so we can provide high-quality, creative education classes and help more children to change their stories. For their future. Donate today.&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Pisey* is 11 years old and lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She came to Skateistan through our partner organization, Aziza’s place, an NGO in Cambodia which supports vulnerable children and their families.</p>

<p>Pisey has not had an easy life. When she was very young, there were problems in her family and she has seen a lot of violence. When she first started going to Aziza’s place, she said to her social worker there, “I would like to stop this but as I am so small I could not do anything but watch my parents fight.”</p>

<p>In 2014, Pisey’s father moved to Thailand to find a job and Pisey and her mother were left alone. Pisey’s mother needed money and wanted Pisey to help by collecting cans from the trash. This meant that Pisey did not go to school and had no friends of her own age.</p>

<p>In the same year that Pisey started attending Aziza’s place, Skateistan began partnering with them so that children could benefit from skateboarding and creative education. Pisey registered to take part in the Skate and Create program, which combines the fun and freedom of skateboarding with arts-based education on subjects like human rights, the environment, staying healthy and the importance of safety. For children who have experienced trauma, like Pisey, the self-expression and sense of improvement that comes with skateboarding can be really powerful.</p>
