History
Tuy Sobil, aka ‘KK’ was born in a Thai refugee camp during the time of the khmer rouge in the 1970’s. Like many his family fled to America in the search of a better life. By the time KK was eight years old he was a very well known break-dancer. Growing up poor in the projects of Long Beach California it is not all that unfamiliar a story that he ended up spending his teen years involved in gangs and eventually prison. During the time KK spent in and out of prison, he made a decision to learn from his own mistakes and create a better future for himself. He enrolled in numerous courses inside prison and by the time he left he had gained skills in anger management and drug and alcohol counselling. Not having ever become a naturalised citizen, the American law saw KK being deported to Cambodia after his prison time, to his ‘home country’ even though he had never been there and could not read or write Khmer, the local language.
In 2004 KK arrived to Cambodia and soon found his home in Phnom Penh. He volunteered as a drug outreach worker and spent his days meeting young children and teenagers in the ‘tips’ and ‘slums’ in and around Phnom Penh. Soon word spread of his former break-dancing days and children began knocking on his door asking him to teach them to dance. KK, still shy and embarrassed by his lack of education refused, not believing he had anything to offer. Realising these children had no positive role models in their lives, he eventually gave in and started teaching nine children in his home. Each day the number grew and soon his home was open to all children and teenagers where he taught break-dancing and life skills, and possibly became the first consistent person in these young people’s lives.
In 2007, N.G.O. Bridges Across Borders South East Asia met with KK and became the first organisation to fund what became ‘Tiny Toones’ and help moved them out of KK’s small living room and in to a Centre. KK’s dream was not only to mentor these children but to help with their education and see them reach their full potential.
Today Tiny Toones reaches up to 500 children and young people per month between the ages of 4 years and 25 years in the main Centres and a further 600 children and families per month during outreach to slum areas. They come from backgrounds of extreme poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, prostitution, family violence, and single or no parents. Tiny Toones main Centre is in Chba Ampov, Phnom Penh. Tiny Toones offers three main streams of education; 1. Traditional education including Khmer, English, and computer studies; 2. Outreach life-skill education such as hygiene, HIV, drug and sex education, counselling and referral, and 3. Creative education in the form of hip hop dance, break-dancing, hip hop music and art.
