In 9 years, children go from learning their ABCs to algebra, companies boom and bust, For Sophea, 9 years has Meant the time between her being in poverty, to having a sustainable business, being able to afford education for her children, and having food security.

Sophea’s family struggled to make ends meet, with her husband doing odd jobs and Sophea running a small micro-business to supplement their income. They wanted her kids to succeed in life, to be able to attend extra classes with their friends so they can get the edge in life they need. As her children were not receiving the proper education they required to progress, she feared that the intergenerational poverty cycle would never end; the phenomena where issues such as child labor, lack of healthcare, and malnutrition causing each generation to remain in poverty. 

Sophea joined Cufa’s Village Entrepreneur program, and thanks to a Community Investor, she was able to get access to training in customer service, bookkeeping, agricultural and livestock management. Through this program she was able to grow her business, overcoming the challenges that her family often encountered. Sophea was able to purchase the necessary stationery and uniforms for school and was able to give her children the extra classes that they wanted. This business provided her family greater financial security, allowing them to visit a doctor and purchase medicine when her family fell ill.

Overtime, she was able to begin to make material changes to her household and her business. She used her profits to help build a new house, featuring plumbing and private rooms, something so necessary but yet often inaccessible for many. To ensure her business would keep growing, she invested in her stall, creating more space to display her produce and goods, and was able to build a roof to continue selling during rain. This investment paid off, as during the current pandemic, though her husband has been able to find work occasionally, and she is finally able to lift her family out of poverty.

For Sophea, becoming a Village Entrepreneur has given her a chance, a chance for her family to get the education, healthcare, and food they need; a chance for her to grow as a person, and broaden her horizons for her future.