By Kean Socheat and San Vinich

Bantey Lvor Village, Kampong Speu Province: Choun Samith, 42, heads a family of eight, three of whom are women. Samith has served as a Village Health Volunteer and is currently a Village Disaster Volunteer. In Samith’s role as Village Disaster Volunteer, he organizes communities to prepare action plans for disaster mitigation, raises disaster awareness in the communities, and motivates the communities to implement disaster mitigation activities.

Producing rice and sugar palm juice are Samith’s family’s only sources of income. This provides barely enough to support them and pay for his children’s school fees.

Drought is an annual challenge. Samith says, “With no water source, my family could not plant other crops or vegetables or engage in other agricultural activities to add more income.”

Under the 2007-08 DIPECHO project, his family decided to dig a family pond, sized 10m x 8m x 3m.

Although the soil was hard as stone, his family struggled tirelessly until the pond was completed.

With a proud smile, Samith reports, “The pond will benefit a lot to my family. The pond can supply enough water for vegetable and crop planting. Another benefit is that I can raise fish in the pond to get more income for my family.”

“As well, LWF provided other skills in agriculture, health, human rights, and so on, for the capacity building to my family in particular and to the whole community,” Samith concluded. With a happy face, Samith sends a huge thanks to LWF Cambodia, which provided this
opportunity to improve the living standard of his family.