Oni Vitandham: Surviving the Khmer Rouge Genocide

Oni Vitandham was born in a jungle cave in the Kompong Speu province of Cambodia, while her mother was in hiding during the Khmer Rouge genocide & the horrors of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge murderous regime.

Now an American citizen, Oni has become an intl advocate for children’s rights & peace.. Before the US Congress, she was selected to be a Cambodian rep among others from 86 countries at an Int Conference of Chief Justices in IIndia. She has written human rights resolutions adopted by the Human Rights commission of the UN & U.S. State Dept..

Oni founded the non-profit Progressive United Action Association, Inc (PUAAI)—dedicated to promoting social justice & enriching the lives of Cambodian children through education, health care, HIV/AIDS prevention, & humanitarian relief.

"`Why god tests his children the way he does can be hard to understand until one reflects back upon it.When I look back at the experiences in my life so far , I am both amazed and humbled. I am amazed that any human being could have experienced so much pain, so much death, and so much destruction, especially as a child, and I am humbled by the power inherently in those who survive and overcome such trials. My Life was hard, and it was terrifying and at times it seemed hopeless, but without all those obstacles ,without all that suffering, I would not be the woman I am  today. I am proud to be this woman, and I carry inside me the strength of an entire nation." s