One of the families who have been helped thanks to the generosity of people like you is Tat and Khon, who were supported with a new home through Habitat for Humanity Cambodia after a lifetime of poor housing.
Tat lost part of one leg when he stepped on a landmine during the civil war period. This made many physical tasks difficult for him – although he never stopped playing traditional musical instruments during community ceremonies, until the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to these gatherings. Tat and Khon’s family did their best to support the couple, but it was a huge struggle.
Growing Homes With Your Support
Now, at last, Tat and Khon have a decent home to call their own. Habitat Cambodia worked with the family to make sure it met their needs as an older couple, and considered Tat’s physical disability – such as extra handles in the toilets.
Having a decent roof over their heads has been life changing for Tat and Khon, but the greatest transformation has come from the agricultural training that was part of the housing programme. Now, the couple grow many kinds of vegetables, such as morning glory, winter melon, pumpkin, bitter melon, and luffa.
Their crops provide food for the household, reducing the amount they need to buy, and also produce a surplus which the couple sell in the village for extra money.
Click Here To Start Growing Homes Together
Now, at last, Tat and Khon have a decent home to call their own. Habitat Cambodia worked with the family to make sure it met their needs as an older couple, and considered Tat’s physical disability – such as extra handles in the toilets.
With this training and support, Tat and Khon have grown a home, a home which is safe, secure, and sustainable. In the next three years, we want to continue this work in Siem Reap, designing and building homes, constructing toilers, providing micro-business grants to families who have taken part in livelihood training and equipping families with seeds and farming equipment.
Millions of people in Cambodia still live in extreme poverty, and there is no safety net provided by a social welfare system. Poor families cannot afford decent homes, and the shelter they have is tenuous, often on unsuitable land with no secure tenancy rights. This is a vulnerable way of life. Children don’t have the chance to regularly attend school, earning a living is dependent on seasonal farming work, and disease and illness is an ever present threat in homes without toilets or clean water.
Read More About Growing Homes
Habitat for Humanity Cambodia works closely with communities to create and build safe houses which give families the foundation to grow food, earn money, and send children to school. Together, with supporters like you, we have enabled 22,000 families to build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter since 2003.
If you’d like to make a transformational gift to our work tackling housing poverty, some ways you can support us are below.
- £2874 could fully fund the design and construction of a quality new
home on land which has secure tenancy. - £507 could provide training on livelihoods, financial literacy, and
home maintenance, plus a micro-grant, to a whole household.
If you’d like to find out more about planned projects and programmes, and make a contribution that reflects your passions, please do get in touch with Jemma Chambers, Head of Philanthropy, by email JChambers@habitatforhumanity.org.uk or 01753 313536.
We’re also keen to bring together supporters to collaborate on funding projects for greater impact – please contact Jemma if this would be of interest to you.
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