Siem Reap, KH – Income and savings from garden enable investments in home and income – 15 Feb 2019

The PWP family has worked hard and saved money since they started their organic vegetable garden in 2015. The family’s diligence is paying off. In 2018 they made a number of home improvements and even saved enough money to buy a motorbike.

Previously, the family’s house was made of round sticks with bamboo flooring and a straw roof. These porous materials allowed wind, rain, bugs, and snakes to enter the home. It was not a comfortable place to raise a family. Over the past year Mr. PWP has improved the home by adding flat timber to seal the walls and corrugated iron sheeting to seal the roof.

The family also purchased a motorbike. Mr. PWP uses the motorbike to bring his kids to school and to earn income selling his vegetables or transporting other goods to the market. The motorbike also saves time, which he can use to improve his vegetable garden or make home improvements.

The family’s main challenge is water access. The garden is a great source of food and income, but during the dry season they have to let it lie dormant because they cannot maintain it. They dream of living in a concrete house with year-round water access.