Hope Comes Home in a Cow

Cambodian Family Emerges from Poverty to Self-Sufficiency

children and I sold our labor in exchange for borrowing oxen from other farmers," Mrs. Rath Phai begins. "My family had a terrible life. Sometimes, we slept with empty stomachs because of the lack of food."

Mrs. Phai lives in Cambodia's Svay Rieng province. Cambodia continues to be one of the least developed countries in the world. She's 47 with a son and daughter still living in the family home. She is among the 36 percent of Cambodians who live below the poverty line. Like her neighbors she depends on rice cultivation for her livelihood.

In 1997, Mrs. Phai's husband became ill. To cover his medical treatments the family decided to sell a hectare of their land (about four acres) and to buy a mortgage on another 1,500 square meters. Even with treatment, her husband died.

Mrs. Phai spiraled into more debt until, she explained, "I had only a few square meters of land remaining for my hut."

When Church World Service, with funding from long-time partner UMCOR, began activities in her village of Nhor, Mrs. Phai and her family were selected as one of the most vulnerable families. They became members of the cow bank. CWS workers also provided wooden columns and thatch for the roof to help her build a small house. She planted rice that season and sold porridge. She carefully nurtured the cow from the bank.

Her cow had two calves in 2002.

Mrs. Phai was so excited! Here's what she did:

• Returned one calf for another vulnerable family to raise and sold the other for 580,000 Riel-about $145 US.
  
• Invested the money to buy one small pig to raise.
  
• Found a bicycle to buy.
  
• With the remaining money she was able to repay the mortgage and reclaim her land.
  
• Repaid debts owed on her daughter's wedding with the left-over money.
  

UMCOR combats hunger and poverty with solutions-often through partners like Church World Service-that build on the knowledge, ingenuity and courage of beneficiaries. Sustainability and self-sufficiency are key.

Today the Phai family has a thatched house and some other assets. Mrs. Phai operates a small business selling rice porridge. Between her earnings and those of her son, the family has risen in self-sufficiency. They fall asleep these days on full stomachs. And, the cow is about to have another calf.

Adapted from a Church World Service project report, "Svay Rieng Community Development"