A Survivor's Promise to His People

Sophorn Jeffrey Loeung was a child when the Khmer Rouge seized Cambodia. He witnessed the devastation of war, the collapse of education, and the suffering of an entire generation. Decades later, now an American citizen living in Mount Prospect, Illinois — he made a promise.

He returned to his village in Battambang and saw children sitting on dirt floors, without books or desks. He donated swings and school materials to the local preschool — a small act that sparked something much larger.

Together with four fellow Cambodian-Americans — Kim Loun Nuth, Zacheriah Sinate Puth, Sokhom Nuth, and Chhun Singha — he founded CAHF to formalize that promise and scale it into lasting change.

Mr. Thavrin Chong

Mr. Thavrin Chong, married with three children, was born in Siem Reap, Cambodia in 1964.

He graduated from high school in Siem Reap in 1987 and from Medical School in Phnom Penh in 1992 as a general doctor, then worked at Siem Reap Hospital in tuberculosis care.

He moved to the United States in 1994 and later graduated from DeVry University in 2001 with a degree in electronics.

Now, he works at North American Signal Company in testing and repair, holds an active license as a financial services advisor with World Financial Group, and serves as Board President of the Cambodian Association of Illinois.