Chanty is a mother of four living in a village in Cambodia. Chanty sadly became widowed and was left to take care of her children on her own and without enough income as a single parent to improve her living condition. Chanty and her sons were living in a very small house with a roof that leaked. Whenever it rained all their belongings like the children’s books and their clothes would get wet. Throughout the wet weather and the heat, the children were getting sick leaving Chanty in a worse financial situation needing to buy medicine to treat them and take care of them.
Habitat for Humanity Cambodia reviewed Chanty’s case and she was selected to be a Habitat Partner for her home to be upgraded. Chanty partnered with Habitat on the reconstruction of her home and it was completed in June 2021.
Habitat for Humanity Cambodia worked with Chanty to give her the tools she needed to get a micro-grant to improve her financial situation. Chanty used her grant to develop an income plan and started farming and raising chickens to increase her earnings.
Where Chanty lives the main source of income for the villagers comes from farming where they can earn up to USD $100-150 a month. Unfortunately, Chanty can’t travel far from home because she needs to take care of her sons therefore being able to raise chickens on her land and sell them has empowered her to live a better life close to home.
“I didn’t have enough money to start a small business for my family. Thanks to the micro-grant, I now started raising 65 chickens which has enabled me to earn about US$150 from selling 11 chickens, and the rest I kept to lay eggs for the new chicks. I will expand my chicken farm by saving from my income. I strongly believe that soon my family’s situation will be improved,” said Chanty.
Chanty’s son, Phearum, 17, helped her build chicken cages, raise more chickens, and grow vegetables, including cabbage, eggplant, chili, and others. Chanty and sons hope that they can sell 15-20 chickens at the price of US$80 to US$100 to improve their livelihood in the next six to eight months. Chanty also has a dream in a few years once their livelihood is improved that they will have enough food, clothes, and money spare to help her sons finish their university studies.
“My house was improved, and it helped us to better our health and happiness. The micro-grant has helped us to be able to farm from home raising chickens to secure a growing income of USD $150 a month. Our farm will help us earn more in the future and will hopefully support my family, especially in saving to buy books for my sons to study.” – said Chanty.
Watch Chanty’s video here:
This project receives support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP) and is in partnership with our implementing partner Habitat for Humanity Cambodia to provide access to safe shelter.
