Finding a Way to Stay in the Village

In Cambodia, the pull is strong for people to migrate from their rural communities to cities like Phnom Penh, and neighboring countries like Thailand, where jobs are available with a steady wage. Unable to earn a living wage in their communities, men and women leave their families to survive.

This migration impacts healthy community development, as able-bodied women and men depart, disrupting and stressing already-struggling families.

World Renew and its local Cambodian partner, OREDA, have initiated various interventions to contribute to solving this development challenge. The story of Mrs. Chreb Ou illustrates the impact of these interventions.

Thirty-one year old Chreb Ou lives in Khvan village, two hours west of Phnom Penh.  In the past, Chreb and her family migrated in order to find jobs, working in construction, a garment factory, and on a large plantation. The stress of living far from home and community supports had left her children in poor health and contributed to family stress and even violence. Her children’s medical bills alone used the extra income they learned in migration, leaving them in a cycle of great distress.

In 2013, community leaders selected Chreb’s family to receive a new family pond as part of a World Renew development project in her village. Chreb’s husband had an opportunity to participate in a farmer exchange visit, where he learned about vegetable growing and fish raising. He was inspired by what he saw and learned. Inspired by their opportunities to improve their livelihood on their land, Chreb and her husband decided not to migrate, but to stay in the community. Their life started to change. They started to grow various crops such as long beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and a species of morning glory, otherwise known as water spinach, common in Southeast Asian cuisine. They also raised fish in their new pond.

The well-being of Chreb’s family has improved. They earn income from selling vegetables and fish. They have  reduced their food expenses and the cost of their medical care. There is no violence in the family anymore. Their children are happier. They plan to build a new house in the near future. Chreb knows first-hand the strain migration puts on a family.  “I am committed to continue vegetable growing,” she says, “and willing to share my experience with others in the community.”