Tag Archives: Cambodia

In Context: Out of the Woods

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.


Story by: Chen Dara, Program Officer, Heifer Cambodia

Translated by: Prak Somathy, Communication and Networking Manager, Heifer Cambodia

Photo by Chen Dara courtesy of Heifer International
Mrs. Deng Sou, 48, and her husband Bou Samet, 50, live withtheir five children in Thmei village, Kampong Sela district, Preah Sihanoukprovince, Cambodia. Before becoming a project participant in the Heifer funded Women’s Empowerment and Migration Reduction Project, in partnership withRural Children Saving Association (RCSA), Sou’s family depended solely onincome brought in from forestry and wildlife.

This job faced many risks including malaria. Sometimes, herhusband and son had to escape from home to avoid from being arrested by a WildlifeConservation team as poaching wildlife is illegal.
“One day, when my husband and son were in the forest cuttingtrees and trapping wildlife, villagers told me that a man had died because a treehad fallen down on him,” Sou recalled. “I was very panicked, afraid that itmight be my husband or my son. However, my anxiety disappeared when I knew thatboth of them were safe. Thank God!”

In 2010, RCSA introduced the Heifer project in the village andher family decided to join a self-help group of 21 families. Sou ’s familyreceived two piglets, three chickens, and vegetable seeds as a tool to improvetheir food security and income generation. She attended both technical andnon-technical trainings, including the 12 Cornerstones training. She is excitedto apply the simple techniques that she has learned from the trainings relatedto animal husbandry and management to develop their unused land for plantingvegetables, raising fish in their pond and applying a poultry bio-securitysystem.
Photo by Kheang Sokleng courtesy of Heifer International

As a result, her family saved enough money to buy a sow forreproductive purposes only.
Today, their sow has given birth to 10 piglets,which have been sold. Aside from the pigs, her family also has five hens, 20 chickens,and seven ducks. The family no longer spends money to buy vegetables, fish andmeat as they produce their own. Sou’s family has better nutrition and ishealthier and they no longer work in forestry or wildlife poaching.

Photo by Sok Nom courtesy of Heifer International
“Now, we have a stable job on our farm. Since joining theSHG, we no longer enter the jungle to cut trees and poach wildlife,” said Sou.“We have applied skills and experiences learned from the trainings to raiseanimals and develop our home garden and vegetable productions. The outcome fromhas allowed us to afford scholastic materials for our children. Thanks toHeifer and RCSA for your generous support.”

In Context: Cambodia

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Editor’s note: In Context is a new series designed to inform and educate you on Heifer’s work in each country we have a presence. Every two weeks we’ll tackle a different country and examine unique situations related to hunger and poverty, how Heifer works to address them as well as take some time to explore local culture and traditions.
Photo by Jennifer Phoon, used under Creative Commons



Overview

Population: 15 million
Native greeting: Choum Reap Sour (hello)
Capital: Phnom Penh
Official language: Khmer
Local currency: Riel

Cambodia, nicknamed the Kingdom of Wonder, is located on theGulf of Thailand in Southeast Asia between Vietnam, Laos and Thailand; thecountry’s landscape is made up of low lying central plains, low mountains andthe upper reaches of the Mekong Delta.
It’s a land in recovery. Rich in history and naturalresources, Cambodia is influenced by decades of war and conflict. Ranked 139thout of the world’s 196 countries on the 2011 HumanDevelopment Index, it’s considered one of the poorest countries in theworld.
Despite recent socio-economics progress, 31% of thecountry’s estimated 14.8 million people live on less than $1.25 a day—that’s 4.6million men, women and children. To add a little perspective, it would be as ifevery person in South Carolina (population 4.6 million) had only $1.25 a day totake care of all necessary expenses—we’re talking basic food, water andshelter.
In Cambodia, 80% of the population lives in rural areas andhalf of the workforce is employed in agriculture, the country’s major industry.Rice farming is huge and many villagers raise cattle and pigs. However, due toslow growth and high mortality rates combined with a lack of education and accessto new technologies, productivity is slow and many families can only produceenough food for a few months out of the year. When food is in short supply, manyfarmers end up borrowing money from lenders, usually with interest rates ashigh as 10%.
Photo by: Sylvain Raybaud, used under Creative Commons
Adding fuel to the fire, malnutrition rates in Cambodiansare among the highest in Asia. Nearly 40% of children are chronicallymalnourished and have deficiencies in iron, vitamin A and iodine.
Fish is the most common source of protein for Cambodians butfarmers lack adequate experience in aquaculture. The daily catch almost alwayscomes from natural ponds, canals and rice fields, contributing to a declining fish population.

It’s not all bleak though, in the last decade, the economyhas seen progress. While still low, the per capita income is slowly increasingthanks in part to the growth of agriculture.
Heifer’s approach inCambodia
Photo by: Matt Bradley courtesy of Heifer International

Livestock Portfolio:Cows, Buffalo, goats, chickens, ducks, pigs and fish fingerlings
Technology portfolio:Organic farming, biogas and composting
Issues addressed:Income generation, migration, adult literacy, women and leadership,environment, HIV/AIDS and domestic violence
To address the challenges of income deficiency, lack ofnutritional food options and small farmer education, Heifer Cambodia uses a holisticdevelopment approach that encourages rural families to become involved in thecommunity development process. To begin with, families receive a package ofagricultural inputs, like a cow or two piglets, fish fingerlings, fodder,vegetable seeds and cassava stems, apply the HeiferCornerstones, receive education and training in technical skills so thatthey are able to improve and diversify their food production in a sustainablemanner. This process builds up self-confidence and provides a way to beself-reliant for a better future.
Heifer Cambodia works with small farmers to improve productivityand provide access to markets. Heifer enables limited-resource farm families toimprove the quality of their lives and equips them to assist others, providingopportunities for families to produce and share food and income from their ownresources in ways that are economically and ecologically sound. Based onHeifer’s best practice on internalized holistic development, the participatingfamilies form and work as self help groups, which encourages fullparticipation.
Since 1999, Heifer Cambodia has assisted 10,926 families

Spirit Houses

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Writer Christian DeVries recently traveled to Heifer projects in Cambodia and Vietnam to collect field stories. Below, Christian gives us a snapshot of the culture he had the chance to see while traveling for us.

Photo by Christian DeVries

I love the spirit houses you see everywhere in Cambodia.

Beyond the rich colors and beautiful designs, I really enjoy seeing what people leave as offerings.  Incense, food and drink are common.  Occasionally, they have figurines, photos, or remembrances of loved ones.  The variety and style of each house is a reflection of the family that loves and cares for it.
These mini dwellings are displayed prominently in homes and businesses across the country.  According to Wikipedia, “The house is intended to provide a shelter for spirits which could cause problems for the people if not appeased.”
In almost all of the restaurants and hotels that I visited, there were indoor shrines that were even more ornate.  Shrines and pagodas are also scattered across Vietnam.  I have included a few in the slideshow here.

Heifer Helps Flood Victims in Cambodia

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Heifer International helps its participants in many ways,but one thing we generally don’t take on is emergency aid. Groups like the RedCross are much more capable of organizing that kind of operation. But occasionally,when our projects are harmed by big natural disasters and we find ourselves inthe best position to assist, Heifer can help get people back on their feet.

Right now in Cambodia, Heifer International is bringingmuch-needed food aid to families affected by recent flooding. With funding fromthe World Food Program (WFP), Heifer is distributing food to 1,101 families,including many who were not current participants in Heifer projects.

Riem Kei and her children, from Kandol Village
The flooding in Southeast Asia during the rainy seasonkilled more than a thousand people and affected about 9 million more. Accordingto a rapid assessment in Cambodia, 967 Heifer project families were seriouslyaffected by the flood. They lost their animals, their rice paddies weredestroyed and 14 houses were damaged.

“Helping poor and vulnerable people is our priority. Wewere so sad to see the people whose living conditions had just beenimproved through our projects be devastated by the floods that almost washedaway their hope,” said Heifer Cambodia director Keang Keo. “Our staff is veryhappy to see their smiles return through this wonderful partnership with WFP.”

The first of several distributions was held in threeseparate locations in December and included education on hygiene andsanitation, so that flood victims can preserve their health after thefloodwaters recede. Each flood-affected family received rice, canned fish, vegetableoil, and high nutrition biscuits. The food will meet the immediate nutritionalneeds of vulnerable households.

36-year-old Heifer project participant Riem Kei saw herfamily’s tiny rice plot destroyed by the flooding, along with her home gardenand most of the family’s chickens. Kei has had to borrow money from herneighbor for food. Her family also has had flood-related health problems,including fever and diarrhea.

“I would like to express my gratitude to Heifer and the WFPfor providing me this food assistance,” Kei said. “I can feed my whole familyfor two weeks with this amount of food.”

The assistance, totaling about $165,000 in food aid, willcontinue to be distributed through February 2012.

What Did You Do for Others Today?

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Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

On this MLK Day of Service, I’d like to share with you a few images and stories showing people all over the world answering Dr. King’s “most persistent and urgent question: ‘What are you doing for others?”‘

Photo by Geoff Bugbee, courtesy of Heifer International

In Drahnov, Slovakia, Peter Kulik (28) and Rasto Kesel (28) grew up together as childhood friends. They have been working together for five years. Both of their families are very poor. Peter’s family participates in Heifer’s Cattle Breeding in Zemplin Region Project and received a Heifer heifer. Rasto, as his close business parter, helps with all of the care and activities associated with the dairy farm. Pictured, Rasto helps Peter build an addition on the barn in anticipation of the farm growing with more animals. The bricks were bought with income earned from milk surplus sales.

Photo by Matt Bradley, courtesy of Heifer International

In Koh Svay Village, Cambodia, Heifer project members sprig shoots in a newly plowed rice field. Project members typically gather to help each other planting the fields.

Photo by David Snyder, courtesy of Heifer International

In Balteza, Albania, a neighbor (right) helps the Koci family, participants in Heifer’s Cattle Project for Poor Roma Families, unload a harvest of wheat at their house.

Did you participate in any service projects today? Tell us in the comments section!



A Widow Struggles for Family Life

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YouenSophea, Yoeun Sophaort, and Soeu Samai (Sopheap’s nephew) have lunch at theirkitchen.

by Heifer Cambodia

Anlong Sa — a poor rural village in Phnom Leap commune, Preahneth Preah district, Bantey Meanchey province — is inhabited by 146 families who rely on traditional agriculture (including rice and livestock), fishing and making bamboo baskets for their livelihood. However, the village faces many challenges including poor quality of agricultural products and services, natural disasters, lack of education and poor sanitation and hygiene. Low education and literacy are factors that lead to domestic violence while social norms put women in a lower status then men, and a lack of job opportunities lead to high migration for work and the problem of human trafficking and HIV/AIDS.

Khuon Sopheap, 42, is a poor widow in this village who has experienced a very hard life since her childhood after her mother died when she was 8 years old. Her father then married another woman and moved to live in another village, leaving her to live with her poor aunt Rath Tong (now 56 years old). Sopheap had no chance to attend school due to poverty. She got married to Muth Sa Oeun at age of 17 in the hope of building a happy family. However, her husband helped little in doing farming and earning income to support the household. He spent most of his time drinking alcohol and wasted the family property, plummeting the family into a worse situation. Sopheap divorced her husband in 2005 when he migrated to work as laborer in Thailand and took another wife there. A huge burden is laid on her shoulders as she has to take care of all children alone.


A mother of five children (four daughters and one son), Sopheap has struggled in earning income to feed her children, her aunt Rath Tong and three nephews. The household’s main source of income is from making bamboo and rattan baskets for sale. All her family members get involved in making the baskets for family income generation. However, after paying for some production materials including bamboos and metal wire, the family is able to earn only 115,000 Riels (about US $28.75) every three months from selling the baskets. Her family also owns one hectare of rice land. But rice yield can feed the family for only seven months after harvest. As income from bamboo and rattan baskets is not enough for support family life, her family has to borrow money from others and sell their labor.


“I have many children that rice yield on 1 hectare of land cannot feed us enough. We were poor in family planning as we did not know how to do birth spacing,” said Sopheap. Her family has not enough nutrition in their foods. Her family rarely has meat in their meals as they have no money to buy meat. They have fishes, fresh-water shellfish, snails or frogs that they catch from the field and river. For the family’s vegetables, Sopheap’s aunt Rath Tong picks morning glory and water lilies from the river and edible leaves from the jungle.


The family’s poverty and debt prompted her eldest daughter, Yoeun Chann (22), to drop out of study at grade 2 to help the family earn income. She got married to Che Rithih (27), who helps doing farming and catching fishes to feed the family. They now have an 8-month-old baby girl, Ruon Choeung. 


Then because Sopheap had no money to support her children for scholastic materials, her second son, Yoeun Khol (20), and her third daughter, Yoeun Sopheap (17), stopped their study at grade 4 and grade 5 respectively. Currently, Khol has migrated to sell his labor in Thailand while Sopheap helps produce baskets and sometimes sells her labor in the crop harvest of other villagers. 


“I don’t want my son to work in Thailand as he might be risky to any bad acts while staying far away from home,” said Sopheap. “However, after joining the group, I plan to enhance livestock production and grow vegetables so that my son and daughters will have jobs at home.”


“I am very sad that I cannot pursue my study,” said Sopheap, adding, “However, I want to be trained in sewing skill as a tailor in the future. With this career, I will be able to earn more money to take care of my poor mother.”


Because of the dire poverty of families like Sopheap’s, Heifer Cambodia implemented the “Community’s Empowerment and Environmental Protection Surround Tonle Sap Lake” project in July 2010. This project was launched in partnership with Cambodian Human Resource Development (CHRD), a local NGO. The project aims to improve income, promote environmental sustainability and involve the whole community in development activities. Twenty-five families were selected to receive piglets, horticulture seeds, fruit trees and other agriculture equipment along with training. In June 2011, Sopheap’s family was one of 25 additional families to be included in the project, and they received piglets and other resources through a Passing on the Gift™ ceremony in October 2011. 


Sopheap takes good care of the piglets, keeping them healthy by applying simple techniques she gained from training. One piglet is fattened for sale in the next four months while another is raised for reproductive purposes. She gets up early each morning at 5:00, fetching water from the river, which is located about 50 meters from her house to clean the pigs and pen. Then she feeds them with help from her daughters (the pigs are fed three times a day, morning, afternoon and evening). She starts making bamboo baskets at 8 a.m. and continues her work until 8 p.m.


“I am so busy at my daily works from morning till night,” said Sopheap. “I sometime prepare foods, but sometime my daughters do it. Though I am busy, I allocate my time for attending literacy class, but not regularly because sometime I have to finish the baskets to sell for foods.” Sopheap has joined a group savings program. She puts 2,000 Riels (about US $0.5), in group saving every month. She has attended technical and non-technical trainings, including the 12 Cornerstones, animal husbandry and vegetable growing.


The family shares household chores. in the early morning, aunt Rath Tong brings along with her a packed lunch and goes to the jungle about two kilometers from the village to collect rattans for producing baskets. She returns home at 3 p.m. Sometimes she goes to catch fish with her fishing net, traps and hooks. She also has an old, small boat as a means to catch fish.


A flood hit Sopheap’s village last October and lasted until early November this year. Her vegetable garden was washed away while her rice stalks were completely destroyed by the flood. Her family had to work hard to restore everything after the floodwaters receded.


Sopheap’s other two daughters, Yoeun Sopea (13), and Yoeun Sophort (10) are currently studying at grade 3 in a primary school, which is located about 2 kilometers from the village. They have the afternoon class, lasting from 1 to 5 p.m. In morning before school time, Sophea and Sophort help their mother by cleaning animal pens, feeding pigs, cleaning the house, preparing lunch, and making the baskets.


Editor’s note: This post is part of a new series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates. 

House of Ms. KhuonSopheap’s family. Its roof and walls were built with thatches.
KhuonSopheap cleans and feeds her pigs.
YoeunSophea fetches water from the river (about 50 meters from the house) to help clean the penand pigs.
KhuonSopheap and her daughters make bamboo baskets.

Heifer Brings Self-Reliance to Cambodia

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Deng Sou and her husband Bou Samet live in Cambodia’s Thmei village with their five children. Before joining a Heifer project, they trapped wild animals and cut down trees in the jungle just to survive. They risked disease and even arrest for poaching. Now, with a stable job on their own farm, they have food and income security and a new, self-reliant life. Watch this short video to learn more.

In Cambodia, a Reduced Dependency on the Forest

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Sophea’sfamily members have lunch together.

by Heifer Cambodia

Mrs. Lang Sophea, 35, and her husband Ein Dok, 39, are poor farmers living in a small and tiny house with leaked thatch and plastic roofs in Thmei village, Kampong Sela commune and district, Preah Sihanouk province. Located between highland and plain area in southeastern of the country, the village is inhabited by 340 families in which poor households make their living by poaching wildlife, logging, making charcoal and firewood, and collecting non-timber products to earn income for feeding their family because current rice cultivation is not sufficient for their family’s consumption.

Lang Sophea had dropped out of her study at grade 3 to help generate income to support her family. In 1995, Mr. Ein Dok who is also from poor family married her when she was 19 years old. They establish a new family, and now have four children – three boys and one girl. Her family has one hectare of land for rice cultivation. But rice yield can support the household for food only for five months after harvest. Like other poor families, Sophea and her husband have to enter into the jungle to trap wildlife and cut trees for making firewood for sale to earn money to buy food for their children. However, the money got from this job was not enough for family life. She had to borrow money from middlemen at a high interest rate (30% per month) to meet her family’s needs, especially in rainy season when the family could not enter into the jungle or climb up the hill. Sometimes she had to sell her labor in the rice harvest of other villagers for additional income. Because her family did not have enough money to support the schooling of her four children, her elder son Dok Saruot (now 17) decided to drop out of his study at grade 3 to help his father cut trees at the jungle for income.

In 2010, Rural Children Saving Association (RCSA) supported by Heifer expanded its development activities to the village by encouraging the farmers to form an inclusive self help group. Sophea and her family decided to join the group, which has conducted regular monthly meetings that brought her family closer to the society. She received a series of technical trainings, including animal husbandry and management, vegetable planting, compost development, and Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones training — guidelines which Heifer views as essential for effective, sustainable development. These Cornerstones also form the basis of the organization’s accountability process.

By applying simple techniques gained from training, Sophea started raising three pigs – two fattened and one sow. With her diligent care, the fattened pigs are very healthy while the sow is pregnant now. She hopes to have more piglets in future. Her family also received 15 chickens, horticultural and vegetable seeds, and other agriculture equipment as a tool to improve their food security.

Since joining the project, Sophea spends most of her time to take care of her poultry and pigs. She did not go regularly to jungle with her husband like before. She gets up at 4:00 a.m., preparing and packing food for her husband and elder son to take with them to the jungle (located about 4 km from the village) where they cut firewood for sale. They return home at about 5 p.m. Her family has two buffaloes for daft power and one oxcart as a transport for loading firewood. They can make firewood for sale only three months per year, especially, in dry season, and could earn 2,100,000 Riels (about US $525). However, this income did not balance the household’s whole expenses.

“We cannot depend on forest products as now forest law and forest conservation has been reinforced,” Sophea says. She added, “Therefore, we plan to enhance our livestock production including pig and poultry productions as it is a stable job for our family to earn income.”

After her husband and son drive the oxcart to the jungle, Sophea cleans her house, animal pens and pigs with help from her daughter Dok Thearom, 14, who attends afternoon class at grade 6. Sophea feeds the chicken and pigs and then does other household chores. She has 10 hens and 12 chickens. She feeds pigs three times a day – morning, afternoon and evening. She expects to sell her two fattened pigs within the next few months. However, she is facing challenges in developing her home garden because there is no water during the dry season. So she has to spend money for buying vegetables for consumption from the market. The household has insufficient nutrition as they have small fish, vegetable and eggs in their typical meals. They rarely have meat and pork as it is expensive for her family to afford.

“We have worked very hard to earn money to invest in our three children’s education,” said her husband Ein Dok. “We want our children better than us. Our efforts inspire them to study harder.”

“I want to be a nurse when finishing my study at schools,” said their daughter, Dok Thearom. “I want to provide good healthcare to my family and other villagers. I promise to learn harder to make my dream come true. I also help my family do household chores after school time.”

Sophea’s other two sons, Dok Theara (14) and Dok Theary (7) are studying at grade 4 and grade 1 at Kampong Sela Primary School, which is located about 500 meters from their house. They attend morning class. After school time, Dok Theara helps graze the buffaloes at the field and sometimes, cuts grass as supplementary feed.

Sophea also attends literacy classes that help her better understand the Cornerstones concept. She practices it in her daily life and builds good relations with her neighbors. She fully participates in group saving by putting 2,000 Riels (about US $0.5) in mandatory savings every two weeks and 3,000-10,000 Riels as voluntary savings. Since she has joined the group, Sophea no longer borrows money from middlemen. She borrows from her group with 5% interest per month when she needs money. Now the savings fund of her group keeps increasing. The group members make group business decisions with the group fund to increase their resource base for family and community development.

When talking about community change, we start thinking about family change as family is a fabric of community. Even poor rural families need not only physical inputs, but also education to transform their lives and develop strong communities in a sustainable way.

Editor’s note: This post is part of a new series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates. 

Lang Sophea and her husband Ein Dok feed pigs. They plan to enhance their pig production.    

Sophea takes care of her hen laying eggs.
Sophea and her buffalo, which is used as draft power, plowing rice land and pulling an oxcart.

Her family rides on oxcart to the field.

Sophea’s house


Heifer Trainings End Violence Against Women

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Mr. You Saroeun helps his wife on the farm instead
of drinking and committing violence against her.

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

From United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s official message:

Violence–and in many cases the mere threat of it–is one of the most significant barriers to women’s full equality.

On this International Day, I urge governments and partners around the world to harness the energy, ideas and leadership of young people to help us end this pandemic of violence. Only then will we have a more just, peaceful and equitable world.

In our work around the globe, we have seen a definite connection between poverty and gender-based violence. Living in hunger and poverty puts stress on the entire family, and these conditions can lead to domestic violence, particularly against women.

As a condition of receiving gifts of livestock and other agricultural inputs, participants of Heifer projects must undergo trainings on numerous topics, including gender and family issues. As a result of the increased sensitivity to gender issues combined with improvements in family living conditions, it is not uncommon for us to learn that husbands who once committed violence against their wives have stopped.

From Community Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Project in Svay Rieng province, Cambodia :

“After attending the gender training, I am ashamed of the domestic violence I committed on my wife,” said Mr. You Saroeun. He admitted that drinking and domestic violence brought nothing to his family, except a waste of time and property, as well as making his family fragile. He no longer leaves his family to find a job in other towns and provinces, as he has a stable job on his farm. “Staying with family, I have plenty of time to look after my children–one of them is attending high school now.”

From Community Empowerment for Poverty Reduction Project in Takeo Province, Cambodia:

“I was disregarded by villagers because of my act in plummeting my family into hell through wasting the family’s property and committing domestic violence,” said Soy Pha. He added, “But, I have changed after attending trainings provided by the project, in particular the Cornerstones training, which brings harmony and transformation to my family. Now my family is respected and recognized by the community. The family value is priceless.”

Cambodia is only one of many countries where Heifer has seen the transformation of a family suffering domestic violence into one of harmony. Nepal, Vietnam and Ukraine are other examples.

In addition to training husbands and sons in gender and family issues, another approach of Heifer’s that has been shown to improve the status of women within both the family unit and the community is engaging the community’s women as the primary project participants. The self-help group (SHG) is an effective tool in community organizing, and women-only SHGs are particularly effective at empowering women, especially in Asia/South Pacific. Learn more about and help fund projects using this approach in India, Nepal, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.