Nhe is a 15 year-old student in Grade 4 in Mondolkiri Province. He is the first child of a Phnong family, who lives with his parents and 3 younger siblings in a small bamboo hut. Nhe was born with a cleft lip and has always felt shy about his appearance. His family believes that Nhe is the reincarnation of his grandfather who also had a congenital facial disfigurement. Nhe receives a scholarship from ESCUP and likes to study but he is unhappy with his classmates who often called him bad names. After school he helps his family by looking after the buffalos. Recently, Nhe and his family received information from ESCUP on the possibility of free surgery from Operation Smile, an international initiative. Nhe and his father decided to undertake the 10-hour journey to Phnom Penh to see the doctor. Nhe was very excited because it was the first time that he and his father ever traveled outside the province. But of course Nhe was also nervous about the hospital visit and possible operation. There were many children in the hospital and Nhe was surprised to see so many other children with a cleft lip. He always thought he was the only one as nobody else in his community had the same problem. Nhe was accepted for corrective surgery. The operation took two hours to complete. Nhe has recovered well from the operation and is very happy with the results. Nobody makes jokes about him anymore when he returned to school. Indeed, all the students were curious to hear the stories about Phnom Penh and that made him feel very special.