A father who couldn’t afford to buy his son a new backpack stayed up all night to weave one with string instead.
Dads seem to have a habit of solving problems with household items – my dad swears by dental floss to tie things together. This particular father went the extra mile though as he didn’t just fix a backpack, he created it from scratch.
Five-year-old Ny Keng, from Cambodia, lost his only bag during a school trip to Thailand. His parents are said have a small income as they work as casual labourers who often travel to Thailand as migrant workers.
Although they were struggling for money, ET Today report the father insisted on paying his son’s tuition and providing his uniform. Ny’s schoolbags and stationery were reportedly sent by teachers at the school and so when the young boy lost his bag his parents couldn’t afford to replace it.
To ensure Ny didn’t have to carry his books to school without a bag, his father stayed up all night to weave a rucksack from blue raffia fibre string. Complete with a strap and buckle, the bag did just the trick.
Ny’s teacher, Sophous Suon, snapped some photos of Ny’s father’s impressive handiwork as Ny showed off his new bag in class.
The teacher shared the pictures on Facebook:
ក្មេងទើបតែចូលរៀនក្រោយគេ ព្រោះទើបមកពីថៃវិញកាតាបនេះគាត់ប្រាប់ថាឪពុកគាត់ជាអ្នកធ្វើឲ្យ(ធ្វើពីខ្សែដេរបាវ) ទឹកចិត្តឪពុកដើម្បីកូនបានល្អនឹងគេ👉More details Sophous Suon/School bags
Posted by Sophous Suon on Sunday, June 16, 2019
It’s heartwarming to see how much effort the father put in to ensure his son wasn’t inconvenienced – that is one caring father!
Sophous spoke to Bored Panda about the incredible creation, explaining the parents struggled to afford to buy a simple bag despite the fact they cost around 30,000 riels (£5.80) in her area.
The teacher’s photos have since been shared over 6,000 times on Facebook and many people have praised the father for his dedication and creativity. A number of generous people even got in touch with the school to offer their support for Ny and his family.
Sophous added:
People said that it’s heartwarming, touching, cool and creative father, [they] love this bag.
Few foreigners asked for contact to send him bags and my school leader already sent his contact for them.
Ny’s father might even get some requests to make more of his original bags; they’ve certainly taken the world by storm!
Amazing.
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.