Among thousands of migrant returnees, Phun Sakhun, 35y, risked her life whilst five months pregnant travelling from Thailand to Cambodia amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Ms. Sakhun and her husband, Vong Kanha returned to Cambodia on November 24, 2021 through Ou Beichoan border checkpoint in Banteay Meanchey province. They underwent the Covid-19 rapid test and were found negative.  However, only Mr. Kanha, who had received two doses of vaccination, was allowed to return home in Thma Puok district. Ms. Sakhun was transferred to Kang Var II quarantine centre as she did not meet the criteria to be able to return home.

 “I had only one dose of vaccination so I was not eligible to go home. I was so worried about my baby inside of me because there was a chance, I would be exposed to the Covid-19 virus and get infected during my time in the quarantine,” Sakhun said. 

In a phone interview with SC staff, Ms. Sakhun, who is currently self-isolating at her home, explained that she and her husband previously worked for a garment factory in Phnom Penh for nearly ten years. They lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 crisis and left to Thailand in August 2020 to work as construction workers.  

While working there, Ms. Sakhun continued, she got pregnant, with early pregnancy symptoms have seriously troubled her, “In the first month, I could not sleep easily. I felt very tired and I vomited often. I did not feel good and I could not work,” adding that she had visited a health care centre and was recommended to, take only iron pills and avoid taking any pain killers but this did not help.

With serious anxiety and concerns regarding their financial situation especially as this is her first pregnancy, Sakhun convinced her husband to stop working in Thailand and return to Cambodia. 

In November 2021, with funding support from Save the Children Korea, Save the Children worked in collaboration with Banteay Meanchey provincial authorities to distribute the sanitation kits and recreation materials to migrant children and their families under the project, “Humanitarian assistance to migrant children and families returning to Cambodia during the COVID-19 pandemic (HOME).” The project aims to cover the basic needs of migrant returnees while in quarantine and help them to relieve stress in order to maintain their mental health during this challenging time. 

These hygiene kits have helped Ms. Sakhun to stay clean and to protect her from infection from any bacteria and virus, especially the Covid-19,, she said, adding that the centre also provided her proper care with regular health checks.

Similarly, another migrant returnee, Cheng Sokha, a mother of two small children - a 5 month-old and a 5-year-old, said her children had a great time during the quarantine, thanking the learning materials provided by Save the Children, “I was really excited to receive learning materials, including books, drawing and painting materials. My children really enjoyed it.” 

Both Ms. Sokha and Ms. Sakhun said they were advised to do regular light exercise and be cautious of their own physical and mental wellbeing. They left the quarantine centre on December 7 and 13 respectively.

Note: Due to the restriction, we could not have them signed our consent forms, but we had introduced them our guideline and had their verbal consents recorded in phone interviews.