Thyda is a mother of three who works hard to give her daughters the best possible future. But surviving on only $3 a day when there are five mouths to feed isn’t always easy.
Thyda spends long hours working as a grocery seller at her roadside stall and has to travel long distances to purchase new products from the markets. Thyda also has a heart condition but often sacrifices the money for her medication in favour of providing an education for her daughters.
“As a mother of three children, I need to ensure they have enough food and are educated, but it seems so hard with such a small income,” says Thyda.
Thyda, her husband and three daughters are just one of the 179 families in Ponhear Leang village, Cambodia. Like most families here, they share one room, have no bathroom, no toilet and no access to fresh water. Thyda’s husband is a rice farmer but the family’s meagre income frequently prohibits him from buying the fertiliser and equipment that would help his crops to flourish.
Thyda’s eldest daughter Phalla, 14, has a dream to study finance at university but sometimes has to miss school to help her mother with her business. When Thyda is forced to travel to buy new items for her stall, Phalla must stay behind to mind the shop and ensure the family receives the income they so desperately need. This can mean that she misses out on the lessons that are crucial to her success in gaining entry to university. Thyda’s youngest daughter Rachana also has a dream to attend university and become a teacher.
HOW YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION CAN HELP
By making a tax deductible donation to CUFA before June 30 you will be helping to empower not only families like Thyda’s, but whole communities in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor-Leste. Your gift can help parents like Thyda and her husband to improve their circumstances and enable children like Phalla and Rachana to realise their dreams.
Your tax deductible donation can empower families like Thyda’s by:
- Helping to develop and grow local grassroots savings banks, making them more able to assist families like Thyda’s through financial education and the provision of loans. Partnered with financial education and support, this access to small loans can help families to start or expand a micro-business and generate enough profit to ensure their entire family has better access to education, healthcare and nutritious food.
- Support CUFA’s Children’s Financial Literacy program that is empowering the younger generation to build a brighter future, free from poverty. By teaching young children the importance of saving and managing their money, we are helping to lay the foundations that will empower disadvantaged children to break the poverty cycle.
