Man Doeun is a 71-year-old widow in Cambodia. She has four children but has sadly been on her own for many years after her first and second husbands passed away.
Although Doeun’s children help support, her financially, this sadly is not enough to make ends meet, let alone build and safe and decent home. Instead, Doeun supplements her income by doing extra work. “I get the money from my children but it is not enough to survive. At the same time, I farm crops and raise animals such as chickens, ducks and pigs…,” Doeun added.
Doeun lives in a small, dilapidated home built by her children. “I live in this house alone now because my children are married and live in separate houses. Meanwhile, my youngest son has migrated to work in Thailand. Honestly, I find it difficult to live in this damaged house comfortably. It cannot protect me from the rain and storms. When it rains or storms, I cannot sleep well…I sometimes need to wake up in the middle of the night and wait till the rain stops and fix the leaking roof,” Doeun said.
Man Doeun’s old home
In addition, Doeun does not have access to basic facilities like a toilet and clean water. As a result, she had to walk long distances to defecate in rice fields or bushes.
Thanks to your support, Doeun now has a safe new home to call her own. With a secure roof, her home can now withstand the rainy season’s onslaught. In her new home, the floor level was also raised to prevent flooding so that she can stay dry through seasonal weather changes. At 71 years-old having a clean, dry and safe home relieves Doeun of a huge burden, and allows her to focus on her family and health.
In addition, with a sanitary toilet, Doeun no longer needs to walk long distances and can benefit from improved sanitation and hygiene.
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