The jungle surrounding Pursat, Cambodia is a hostile place – something Tak, his wife Nein and their nine children know all too well.
The family has no clean water and no sanitation facilities. The jungle is the only option for relieving themselves and added to this is a safety issue. One of their daughters went to the jungle one day to relieve herself, but was kidnapped and raped. She returned to her helpless parents traumatised and pregnant.
Our sister organisation HOPE International Development Agency is building a small school closeby, but this is not an option for the children. Instead the kids are bound to walking six kilometres each day to collect water – water that isn’t even fit to drink.
You can see the toll this life is taking on Tak and Nein’s family. The children, instead of enjoying a carefree childhood, are gaunt and hopeless, resigned to the world they were born into.
But in March, 2014, this world started to change.
The generosity of ordinary Kiwis a world away allowed HOPENZ to install a well, a simple pump, some seeds and agriculture training, as well as a composting latrine. These basic amenities have changed the world of this family.
In just six months, the family have begun harvesting eggplant, corn, pumpkin and a host of other vegetables. They’ve even begun harvesting a rice crop.
Not only does the family have food security, but they’ve started selling the surplus and used the revenue to purchase a solar panel generating electricity for a light.
And their daughter, who was stolen and violated, is helping her parents build a new house for her and her child. Four of this family’s children are now attending school.
Tak and Nein have worked incredibly hard to build security and productivity for their family. But all it took was $270 for HOPENZ to equip this family and help them work their own way out of poverty. The changes have been incredible and can continue with your help. With your donation, we can continue bringing HOPE to these families.
