Saturday, March 03, 2007

Improving Livelihoods in Cambodia

02 Mar 2007
Concern Worldwide - Ireland

On 8 March, people across the globe will be celebrating International Women's Day. One of the core goals of the day is to inspire women to achieve their full potential. Reaching full potential and enabling people to improve and sustain their livelihoods are also central to Concern's work in Pursat Province, Cambodia.

Working with partners
In conjunction with Anakot Kumar (AK), a local non-government organisation, Concern is implementing the Supporting Initiatives for Livelihood Improvement programme. This programme enables communities to develop sustainable livelihoods for the poorest families.

Raising pigs
Su Yahn is married with four children aged between 12 and 19 years of age. Like many involved in the AK programme, she owns no agricultural land and has a very low income. To support her family, Su Yahn and her husband collect fish from the local river and sell them at the market. This isn't enough to support the family, and leaves them susceptible to food shortages. But since becoming involved in the project, Yahn has started raising pigs.

Savings and investment
According to Yahn, raising pigs is "like saving, and having an investment". In six months, when the pig is fully grown, Yahn will sell her pig and use the earnings to buy two more piglets. The remaining proceeds will help to maintain her family. This way she is building for the future and developing a sustainable livelihood.

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