From Surviving the Pol Pot Regime to Australian Citizenship: Somaly’s Remarkable Journey    

Somaly endured an unimaginably difficult life and found happiness when she moved to Australia to marry her husband in 2011. After tragedy struck again, she found her voice and new skills at Navitas Skilled Futures.

Somaly’s life is best summed up with the trait that got her through the worst; resilience. From surviving Pol Pot’s brutal regime in Cambodia, to going three decades without seeing her mother and losing a new husband, Somaly endured unimaginable hardships but says she was able to find happiness and a community in Australia. Initially struggling on her own after moving to Australia, Somaly enrolled in her local Navitas Skilled Futures College where she found her voice and achieved her dream of becoming an Australian citizen.

During the late 1970s, Cambodia was affected by the communist Khmer Rouge regime, where an estimated one-quarter of the country’s population died. Somaly’s mother and siblings managed to escape to Australia, but she was already married and unable to leave. 

“We nearly died, you know,” she said.

“They killed my two uncles, and my daddy. They killed my two cousins. My uncle worked as a Member of Parliament, and one of my other uncles, he was a rich farmer, and he was killed. And my father was a professor – he was killed too in the Pol Pot regime.”

Somaly was left weak and malnourished over the three-year regime but was able to build a future for herself and her family.  

It wasn’t until 2006 that she was able to leave Cambodia to visit her mother in Australia, more than 30 years after she had left. Somaly loved Australia, but her home was in Cambodia, until her marriage broke up. While visiting her daughter who had moved to Australia with her new husband she met the man who would become the love of her life.

A new life in Australia

It was 2011 and while visiting her daughter who had moved to western Sydney, she struck up conversation with her Australian neighbour. 

After years of friendship and visits back and forth between their countries they fell in love and married. Somaly permanently relocated to Sydney in 2017.  

A few years into her new life tragedy struck again, her husband died suddenly of a heart attack.

“At first, I had little understanding of what life here would be like, and I struggled with low self-confidence and social skills that made it challenging to connect with others,” she said.  

“I was so sad, not happy.”

Despite her grief, Somaly was determined to regain control of her life and enrolled in early 2024 in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) funded by the Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, delivered by Navitas Skilled Futures. 

Somaly said her English began to improve, and so did her digital literacy skills. She found her confidence rekindled and began to more easily navigate her daily life.

“Since rejoining, my confidence and social skills have improved significantly,” she said.  

“My reading has noticeably enhanced, my teachers have complimented my skills, and my writing and spelling have improved as well.”  

“I am incredibly grateful to Navitas for offering students like me the chance to learn and study for free—something I would not have been able to afford otherwise. I also want to extend my thanks to the government for enabling Navitas to support the community in this way.”

Somaly, AMEP student

Somaly said her top achievement was her successful path to citizenship, which she achieved this year, formally becoming an Australian citizen at a ceremony held at Sydney Olympic Park, with the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in attendance.  

“I felt so proud and happy, my teachers helped me and when I told them I passed the test, they said we had to celebrate!” she said.  

With her new digital skills, she began searching the internet, dreaming of travel to far-flung places. When she told her teacher at NSF, he helped her begin the process of applying for a passport with her new citizenship.  

“It makes me very happy, now all I need is the money!” she said.  

For Somaly, finding meaningful employment is her next goal. After completing Pathways to Work as part of the AMEP, Somaly has now enrolled in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations’ Skills for Education and Employment program (SEE), also delivered by NSF.  

“I am enrolled in the SEE program to further assist me in finding suitable employment,” she said.  

“I am excited to embark on this new journey and look forward to what the future holds for me. Thank you to Navitas and all the dedicated staff, teachers, and Pathway Guidance Advisors who have helped me along the way.”

Somaly, AMEP student