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WV Offers Peace of Mind from Starvation
Life has not always been easy in this idyllic setting. In a tiny house at the end of the village, a young mother with an infant on her shoulder rushes to prepare lunch. Sao Navy is a 34-year-old widow with two children, seven-year-old daughter, Chitra Marinet, and one-year-old son, Chitra Davy. Navy divorced her husband two years ago when he failed to return from work in Phnom Penh. She was two months pregnant with their second child when her husband abandoned her. Navy’s depends on farming to support her family. Her farmland of 20 square meters only yields enough produce to feed her family of three for six months. She supplements her family’s income by sewing dresses for the villagers, though this is difficult because her young children need her attention and care. “I did not earn enough income to feed my children or send my daughter to school. When night came, my only thoughts were what I must do the next day to put food on the table for my children,” says Navy. Each year, floods and droughts threaten the village. The farmlands are either arid during the annual drought period or covered entirely with water during the flood season. Farmers depend on rainfall for rice production. Water shortages occurs everywhere whether it is the dry or wet season. In 2005, World Vision Cambodia’s Food and Water Security Program established a two-year project, “Household Food Security” funded by World Vision Canada to encourage the poorest families to focus on multi-production through integrated farming system rather than traditional monoculture crop cultivation.  Between ten and fifteen farmers with common interests were formed into livelihood groups (LG). In early 2006, Navy was selected and given the opportunity for membership. Members pay 2,000 Riels (US$0.5) in fees and 20,000 Riels (US$5) as a share. The money is used as a revolving fund when members want to buy fruit crops, vegetable seeds and animals to raise. The monthly two per cent interest from the loan accrues to the membership profit account. “I was so excited about the project. I could foresee the benefits we can derive from the animal raising and multi-crop planting,” Navy says enthusiastically. Navy and the members of the group received training on how to raise chickens, pigs, fish and multi-crop planting, as well as how to properly use manure fertilisers for vegetables and fruit crops. Nowadays, Navy has chickens, fish, and pigs to raise, and vegetable seeds to grow at her house. Recently, she earned over 30,000 Riels (US$7.5) from the vegetables she had planted three months earlier, which made her became the LG role model. The two kilograms of small fish that she had requested three months ago have now increased to approximately 100 kilograms. The chicken she requested will provide her with another five chicks in eight months. There has been a dramatic improvement in Navy’s living conditions in the year since joining the group. “I am no longer afraid of starvation since the vegetables and fishes can compliment most of my everyday meals. Moreover, I can make additional profit by selling to the local market,” she says.  Navy also confesses that since the project began, Trea village has changed. The once predominant selfish and rude atmosphere attitude turned to a loving and compassionate community. Those who previously drank and committed violence against their children and wives turned to focus more on work. People are happier than before because they now know what the value of their work means to them. “Now, I can send my daughter to school and I hope I can support my children's study further if our livelihood is sustained,” says Navy. Navy expresses her appreciation to World Vision for helping to improve the livelihood of many families in her village. She prays for continuous support to rural areas so that other poor families can benefit from having enough food like herself. |
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