Chantha’s enterprise pays off

Theang Chantha had a tough start in life.

After an arranged marriage to a village boy at the age of fifteen, a disastrous move in search of work to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh led to the young couple struggling to support themselves. Verbal and sometimes physical violence became the norm; they returned home and separated. Left alone to care for two young children and her elderly parents, Chantha tried to borrow money from neighbours to send her children to school; but as a single mother with no financial income she was often refused. Where money was offered, she couldn’t afford the high interest.

Then thanks to Cord’s partner ‘Organisation to Develop Our Villages’ (ODOV), Chantha joined her village bank and was given a loan of 200,000 Riel ($50 USD) to establish a small shop selling desserts, soft drinks, fruit and vegetables - right in front of her house.

She learnt how to reinvest in her small business through saving and increasing her loan and now makes a profit of $20 USD a day.

But that’s not all. ODOV also gave her training in rearing animals and nutrition so that these days she is adept at growing rice and vegetables and has reared two cows, three pigs and chickens.

“Making sure my family has enough good food to eat is so important for my family’s health, my children and my elderly parents,” said Chantha.

Dignity, education and a better home.

Now thirty, Chantha is seen as a young and brave business woman, striving for dignity and a better life for herself and her two children, ten and thirteen. She’s earning enough money to pay their school fees and to renovate her home.

“Opportunities to make good use of our resources and energy are right here in Cambodia,” said Chantha. “We can definitely find happiness and success around us. Hope is our own hands.”

Chantha is committed to sharing her experience with others in the community,especially encouraging vulnerable women suffering from domestic violence and poverty to stand up for themselves and claim their right to dignity.
Cord is equally committed to supporting ODOV in its work with Cambodia’s rural poor.