We certainly don't expect anything from Mey-Yii's grandma because we already know her education is not even worth a cent to that woman, so we've more or less taken her in as our own, although we send her back home in the evenings to sleep at her grandma's place. Our only hope is the family that has 4 kids which we take to and from school. They are a good enough family for Cambodia, not dealing with alcoholism or a gambling addiction, but the husband chooses to supplement his already decent salary with illegal logging. The Wildlife Alliance recently confiscated his chainsaw and burned all of his illegal timber, so they are in a tough financial situation, and he doesn't seem willing or brave enough to think of alternative streams of income.

I would like to do homestays in the village as a source of income that may prevent illegal logging, but right now I know most foreigners would be uncomfortable in the local households because of all the mental health problems, alcoholism, gambling, etc.

The family who sends 4 kids actually have 8 kids in their home but only 4 are their biological children, so they are doing a good thing in taking in several "throwaway kids." They tried to give us $25 when I first started taking their kids to school, but we said wait until they receive their salary, then only give us what they can afford to give.