One Small Shop, One Huge Change
Srey, her husband, Neun, and their children are enjoying living together again after years of separation as the parents migrated for temporary jobs. With support from World Hope International (WHI), Srey has opened a small shop next to their home that’s bringing in both daily income and some stability. Neun has found steady local work. Here is a look at their trajectory.
Srey and Neun used to migrate from place to place across Cambodia in an attempt to earn enough income to support their family. They took the youngest with them while the other two lived with Neun’s mother. The separation was hard on all the members of the family.
Neun explained the hard choices they faced: “We didn’t use to spend much time with the oldest kids because of this. As a husband, I didn’t want my wife to have to move from place to place with me and leave them behind. But when we didn’t go where the money was, we didn’t have enough to live on,” said Neun.
Neun had to leave again. This time for neighboring Thailand, for construction work that allowed him to send remittances to Srey for household expenses and the children’s schooling. Having Srey stay with the children solved one of their challenges, but money was still scarce. He returned to Cambodia in 2020 during the pandemic. He’s since been able to continue in construction while living at home. Yet even with him working close by, it was hard to make ends meet. Fortunately, the family’s hardships came to the attention of WHI, who assessed them for livelihood opportunities. Opening up a small shop with must-have items for neighbors appeared to have the most promise for Srey.
For the first time in years, Srey no longer has to make the difficult choice between earning a living and being a presence in her children’s lives. The little store is right next to the house, so she can tend to the both the children and the store with ease. “I don’t have to migrate for work anymore,” she said with gratitude. “With Neun home and two income sources now, we can be a family again.”
Cambodia Tbong Khmum Program
Led by World Hope International