Siem Reap, KH – Consistent work helps improve a family’s life – 4 Sep 2015
Mr. EL and his wife live with their four children in Peaksneng, a small village 35km north of Siem Reap in Cambodia. Since joining the Peaksneng Thormacheat garden shop as its first member in 2013, EL and his family are able to continuously improve their home, increase their income generating activities by growing vegetables, raising pigs, ducks and chickens, provide their children with essentials (food, medicine, clothes), and even save for a secure future for their family.
EL takes great pride in his work and encourages the other Peaksneng Thormacheat shop team members to do the same. He is now the official leader of the garden team, not only because he is the hardest worker but because he wants to be a leader in his community and role model for his children.
When EL started working with the garden shop in Peaksneng, his main priority was to improve his home. He lived in a dilapidated bamboo hut with a grass roof which meant that his family was always exposed to the elements. After proving himself a hard working honest individual, Reynaldo Diez, the garden shop manager, provided him with a micro-loan that allowed EL to put a metal roof on his house and reinforce the floors and walls. The improvements made the EL family much more secure in their home and they are no longer exposed in bad weather.
All of the garden shop workers choose to start a Food Always In The Home (FAITH) organic vegetable garden at their homes because it is often a crucial step on the path to food self-reliance. Many local Cambodians will plant vegetables around their home, but the FAITH garden’s organized beds, planting techniques, and soil improvement, allows a family to harvest enough vegetables to feed their family year round. EL’s wife takes care of their garden on a daily basis, where she plants eggplants, gourds, herbs, long beans, and morning glory.
Integrating livestock into a family’s lifestyle in rural Cambodia is also a crucial step because livestock provides a local farmer much needed income and manure to continuously improve their soil. Piglet raising can be a good business in Cambodia with a 100kg pig selling for US$200! Reynaldo advises his team to invest their money in pigs, ducks and chickens, which EL does. The family can earn up to an average of US$50 from their garden and livestock every month!
When EL first started working with the garden shop he was constantly worried about his children’s health and welfare, now with the extra income the EL family are earning they have been able to consistently provide food, clothes, and medicine for their children. Worry has changed into confidence as EL continues to improve his family’s life.
EL now is saving up to purchase a nearby plot of land neighboring his home in order to expand his FAITH garden where he plans to plant cucumbers and eggplants. He would also like to expand his pig pen so that he can earn more money from his piglet raising activities.