Siem Reap, KH – Sustainable living is possible when you assist others – Oct 2025

This story is about of a family in the rent-to-own home community and their corner shop. Their little rent-to-own house is more than just four walls and a roof for Choun Choi and his wife Moum, mother Oum, and daughter Chanti. It is a sanctuary. The house has given them a deep sense of security, and the fertile patch of land surrounding it ensured they always have fresh vegetables from their garden as a vital guarantee of food security.

However, their greatest joy came from a new opportunity that sprang up quite unexpectedly. Since their house sat on a busy corner in the community, Moum and her mother noticed how often neighbors would ask for a pinch of salt, a scoop of sugar, or a quick drink they forgot to buy at the main market. One afternoon, Choi built a small, wooden and plastic shelf right by their front window. Moum then stocked it with just the essentials: small packets of instant coffee, a few bottles of soda, local fruits and tiny bags of spices. The small shop soon transformed into a friendly, informal meeting point where neighbors would pause, exchange local news, and share laughter before hurrying home.

​It was the smallest of enterprises, but the impact was enormous. The neighbors, grateful for the convenience, happily bought from Moum. Every Cambodian Reil earned, though small individually, quickly accumulated. This modest income, generated entirely through neighborly assistance and a small shelf of goods, was enough to pay for their rent, electricity and other thing they needed. ​The rent-to-own house didn’t just give them a place to live; it gave them independence. By serving their community with small, necessary things, they unlocked the secret to true happiness: security, food on the table, and the dignity of earning their own way, one packet of sugar at a time.

Choun Choi and his family thank BetterLives for the changes they have contributed to in their lives. “Without the assistance of BetterLives, Peaksneng shop, Rey and Thon this will not have been possible in their life” Choi said.