In Cambodia, the Caritas Australia supported ‘Upholding Community Dignity Together’ program is working with local communities to create sustainable livelihoods in agriculture. The program is run in partnership with the Environment Protection and Development Organisation (EPDO) and reaches 1200 families.
Phany, 27, lives with her husband and eight-year-old daughter in a village in Kandieng district, in Cambodia’s Pursat province. Everyday Phany worked hard in her fields, but recurrent drought and water shortages throughout the region made it difficult to grow enough food or earn a living.
“We weren’t earning much income and our meals lacked nutrition,” Phany says. “We had no technical skills in vegetable and animal raising, I just farmed in the traditional way. We had debt with a high interest rate.”
Over 70 per cent of Cambodia’s population live in rural communities. Farming families living in poverty are more at risk of food insecurity, and 35 out of every 1000 babies die from malnutrition.
When Phany’s daughter turned two, she and her husband moved to Phnom Penn to look for construction work in the city. The work conditions were poor and the wages unreliable, but it was the only way Phany could provide for her daughter.
In 2016, Phany joined the Upholding Dignity Together Program and has since transformed her life. Phany learnt new farming techniques, such as a drip irrigation system, which enabled her to get a better yield. Now, she works together with her community for better waste management, to combat drought and maintain crops year-round.
Phany has achieved a lot since she first joined the program and her future looks even brighter.
“I hope I have enough money to afford my daughter’s education, health treatment and avoid being in debt,” Phany says. “For my family, I hope to own a plot of land to expand my vegetable and animal raising activity. For the community, I hope we have enough water for all year-round, to reduce migration to the cities, and that no one is trapped in debt.”
With your help, mothers like Phany can continue to uplift their communities, and provide food for their families. They can give the vital support that their children need as they embark on their education. Please donate generously today. Let’s Go Further, Together.
To donate to Project Compassion visit Caritas Australia’s website, www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion or call 1800 024 413.