Everyone knows the importance of water and how it is critical for survival. Twenty-seven year old Vannak Nout knows well enough just how significant the availability of clean water can be for his family. Before SSF provided his village a water pump and large water jars to store water, he and the rest of the villagers had to make several trips a day just to get to the nearest source of water, a pond that was at least a kilometer away. No doubt, a single pond was hardly sufficient for the 30 families in the village and their livestock, let alone enough to begin any sort of plantation. The numerous trips a day also occupy so much of their time that they find days too short to earn enough income. On top of all that, the water from the pond was not always clean and this resulted to frequent diarrhea and other illnesses related to poor sanitation.
For about ten years, Vannak Nout worked as a constructor earning 10,000 Riels (US$2.5) a day but because he had to travel far to get to work, most of his earnings had to be spent on transportation. He also reared two chickens and had hoped that they would bring some extra income, but because of inconsistent feeding and lack of knowledge on rearing, his chickens kept perishing before he could expand his brood and they only brought in around US$10-15 in the span of four months. And there were times for as long as 3 to 5 months there was no sale at all. Having barely enough to get by, they were regularly starving and had to deal with days of diarrhea. Vannak Nout knew that this was not the way he wanted his family to live. And so, when SSF dropped in to offer help and advice to the villagers, Vannak Nout was among the first to jump at the opportunity.
After SSF helped the village to build their first water pump, getting water was not a problem anymore. Additionally, SSF educated the villagers the importance of hygiene, and provided them with water filters. With this, Vannak Nout and his family no longer had to worry about falling ill from the water they consumed. Along with the rest of the village, he was advised to start growing a small plantation at home as water had become easily accessible.
Since Vannak Nout had wanted to rear chickens, SSF provided the much needed education of helpful techniques on raising his farm. He was taught how to grow his own vegetables like morning glory and cabbage, and use them to mix with market chicken feed, fish pellets and rice husk. As he began to feed his chickens this mix, not only could he save on money spent on buying chicken feed from the market, but also his chickens grew healthier and had higher survival rate. In case the chickens fell ill, SSF also taught Vannak Nout to make all-natural medicines, which costs a lot less and works more effectively than store-bought chemicals. Now his chickens can grow up to 1.2 to 1.5kg, and this equals to fetching higher prices in the market.
Within a year since SSF helped him kick-start his business, he has expanded his farm from two to thirty chickens and earns about US$50 in two months. This allows him to support his six year old son to go to school, which he finds especially important as he believes that education can get his son much better prospects in life. In time, he aims to raise as many as 50 to 100 chickens so that he can make US$70-80 every two months. Vannak Nout is glad to be able to work at home as he is also able to look after his wife and son and spend more time with them. He is grateful to SSF for showing him the path towards the kind of life he has always dreamed of, a life with hope.
For about ten years, Vannak Nout worked as a constructor earning 10,000 Riels (US$2.5) a day but because he had to travel far to get to work, most of his earnings had to be spent on transportation. He also reared two chickens and had hoped that they would bring some extra income, but because of inconsistent feeding and lack of knowledge on rearing, his chickens kept perishing before he could expand his brood and they only brought in around US$10-15 in the span of four months. And there were times for as long as 3 to 5 months there was no sale at all. Having barely enough to get by, they were regularly starving and had to deal with days of diarrhea. Vannak Nout knew that this was not the way he wanted his family to live. And so, when SSF dropped in to offer help and advice to the villagers, Vannak Nout was among the first to jump at the opportunity.
After SSF helped the village to build their first water pump, getting water was not a problem anymore. Additionally, SSF educated the villagers the importance of hygiene, and provided them with water filters. With this, Vannak Nout and his family no longer had to worry about falling ill from the water they consumed. Along with the rest of the village, he was advised to start growing a small plantation at home as water had become easily accessible.
Since Vannak Nout had wanted to rear chickens, SSF provided the much needed education of helpful techniques on raising his farm. He was taught how to grow his own vegetables like morning glory and cabbage, and use them to mix with market chicken feed, fish pellets and rice husk. As he began to feed his chickens this mix, not only could he save on money spent on buying chicken feed from the market, but also his chickens grew healthier and had higher survival rate. In case the chickens fell ill, SSF also taught Vannak Nout to make all-natural medicines, which costs a lot less and works more effectively than store-bought chemicals. Now his chickens can grow up to 1.2 to 1.5kg, and this equals to fetching higher prices in the market.
Within a year since SSF helped him kick-start his business, he has expanded his farm from two to thirty chickens and earns about US$50 in two months. This allows him to support his six year old son to go to school, which he finds especially important as he believes that education can get his son much better prospects in life. In time, he aims to raise as many as 50 to 100 chickens so that he can make US$70-80 every two months. Vannak Nout is glad to be able to work at home as he is also able to look after his wife and son and spend more time with them. He is grateful to SSF for showing him the path towards the kind of life he has always dreamed of, a life with hope.
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