Driver's Ed program assists NC Cambodian refugees with getting license: 'Gateway to new life'

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) -- An hour up the road from Raleigh, North Carolina on the Wat Greensboro Buddhist Center Campus sits a lifeline for Cambodian refugees in the form of a yellow house. Through a translator, Eyewitness News spoke with Sieng I, who has been living in Greensboro for a year and three months. She said it's been a challenge adjusting to life here.

"There were many problems in Cambodia where she didn't feel safe. Coming here gave her safety and freedom," said the translator. "She had trouble getting to work, finding work and just overall finding things that she needs."

The language barrier has been the biggest challenge. It's even kept her from learning how to drive.

"She did fail the permit test once and when she went again, she passed," said the translator.

Sieng I is a recent graduate of the driver's training program that helps Cambodian refugees pass the written portion of the driver's license test. All DMV documents, including the North Carolina Driver's Handbook, have been translated to the Khmer language so they can understand the rules of the road. The program is an eight-week class held every Sunday for two hours. Boran Khat often grants students more time if they need more help after the course. He is the instructor.

"Now, having the ability to drive, they can participate in work. Some people are also entrepreneurs, and they want to start their own business. This is a gateway to start that life for them," he said.

The Cambodian Association of North Carolina launched the program. Don Lam and other founders raised money for their mission, including paying $10,000 to translate the DMV booklet from English to Khmer.

"We're helping to advocate for that representation so that we're not a community that remains invisible," said Lam.

In the early 1980s, Cambodian refugees fled to the United States as a result of the Khmer Rouge Genocide. According to the Census, Asians make up 5.7% of Guilford County's population. There's no word on how many Cambodian people make up that number, but Lam said Cambodians typically don't get counted with the Census because of the language barrier. He also believes Guildford County has one of the largest populations in the state as a result of the genocide and other migrations.

Lam spends time advocating at the statehouse to include the Cambodian language in the DMV written test. He said in 2023, a House bill failed. He would like to see it pass one day because he says many refugees take the test a number of times before they pass.

"They pass because they're lucky. They go six, seven, or even ten times. They memorize the test and that presents a public safety issue," he said.

Advocating continues for Lam. Sieng I has her driver's permit and plans to get her license soon. She hopes there will be many more graduates from the program.

"A lot of refugees come from Cambodia, and they aren't able to get any assistance or help. So, having this program really helps those who just came to America and get used to a system that wasn't really built for them," she said.