Most Significant Change Story - Increased livelihood income skills and opportunities for poor and vulnerable households.

Beungbot Kandol commune, Robang Romea village, December 2017 - I`m Hou Khon 57 years old married with my husband named Khem Ngon 58 years old. He has left leg sciatica for 10 years, and terygium removed with decreasing vision from both eyes for 5 years. We have 3 sons, the last one aged 21 years living in family and now he migrated to Thailand, no daughter. Other 2 sons live with their wives at separate houses. I had career as selling of vermicelli or Khmer noodle. It is hard work in doing by hands and by traditional tool. We could produce only in small amount in each day about 15 kilogram of vermicelli per day with would get income 20,000 rile = $5.00 (earned 10,000 riel = $2.50) per day, about 30 clients per day. This income was not enough to feed the daily need of the family. When someone got sick, there was no money to spend for treatment. My family has no rice field, but we grow home gardening vegetables and grow some fruit trees around the house.  

I have become a RC member for almost 2 years and my husband has become RC member for more than one year so far. We always attend in the RC discussion every week. My family has become a
saving member sine year 2016 and I put saving 2,000 Riel every month.

I learned topics in RC discussion such as hygiene, nutrition, learning through play, social marketing and bookkeeping, hygiene and home gardening.

My family received budget support $71.80 (=287,200 Riel) from ADRA, then I bought 2 machines (one to crush rice to be powder, and other one to make powder to be noodle), and could buy other materials for vermicelli production. Since using machines we can produce 25 kilogram of vermicelli per day and could get income 40,000 Riel = $10.00 (earned 20,000 Riel = $5.00) per day. The number of client increased to 40 to 50 persons per day. As well, some days the amount of vermicelli production is increased to 50 to 70 kilograms when some people in villages ordered vermicelli for the ceremonies. That`s the income 60,000 Riel (= $15.00) to 80,000 Riel (= $20.00) per day.

My husband and I feel so happy with having machines and materials for vermicelli production. It is manual assistant to the hard work and it could get better income from this career. The living condition in family has been changed, such having money for illness treatment, foods, and materials (last few months I bought new blanket, mattress and cupboard). My family will continue this job as it is mainly making income for the family, and/or we would share this skills to my children and/or to the neighbors when they are interested it. “I`m thankful to ADRA team and ADRA`s donor for helping to my family and to my village so far” smilingly said by Hou Khon.