On a sweltering day in rural Cambodia, two children follow their parents around as they work to support the family. They do not go to school because of the family’s poor living conditions. Eventually, their oldest son joined his parents Chuob and An as a wage worker to help support the family by doing work like seasonal farming or spraying herbicides.
Due to the family’s low and irregular income, they could not afford to renovate their home or build a new one. Their old house did not stand up to the intense weather and was unsafe. Trork, the youngest son, added, “I did not frequently sleep inside the house. I usually sleep in the hammock, sometimes at my friend’s house or my aunt’s or my neighbour’s house.” The condition of the house caused An, Chuob’s wife, a lot of stress as they often had to rely on others for help.
“We could not sleep well when it rained, and it was very hot during the day. So we had to take shelter under the trees and my children stay at my sister’s or neighbour’s house. I always worry about our safety as my old house does not have a door,” said An.
All of this changed when Chuob and An met Habitat for Humanity Cambodia who gave them the support and skills they needed to support their sons. A grant enabled them to build a disaster-resilient house that can withstand the heat. In June 2022, An, Chuob and their two sons moved into their new house.
“I can now comfortably live in my new house. I no longer worry anymore about rain, wind or heat. We now have also a toilet, so we don’t need to go far from home or ask to use the neighbour’s toilet like before,” said Choub. “I can stay under my new house and inside the house during the day because it is not as hot as before,” added Trork.
One of the new skills An has learnt with the support she received is how to raise chickens, take care of them and grow food to feed them. With this, An can bring more stability to the family’s income.
“I plan to raise the chicken to earn more income to support my family. With the knowledge, I gained and my commitment, I hope our living conditions will become better and better. Thank you for all the support,” said An.
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.
Read more stories like Salout’s here.
