Garment Worker Turned Successful Farmer

Working in a garment factory is a good source of income, but it’s also tedious work far from home. Many young Cambodian women living in rural areas leave to work in the garment industry. But when they return to their villages, they are faced with finding sustainable work that can support their families. Farming remains a good career option for those who return to rural areas, but learning agricultural techniques is challenging. Thary Kong is an example of how a young woman can return home and learn the skills she needs to have a successful farming career.

Thary lives with her family in Kruos, a village four hours east of Phnom Penh. Poverty forced Thary to drop out of school at grade 5 and start looking for a job as a garment worker in the city. After 15 years working in a factory, she returned home hoping to become a farmer. Her dream was to have her own farm and raise pigs and chickens, but she lacked knowledge of the industry and how to make farming a sustainable job in spite of the fluctuating prices of and demand for livestock.

In 2015, KADRA, a World Renew local partner, started working in Kruos village and formed a savings group. Villagers would commit to saving and offer each other small loans with manageable interest. Thary became a member and so had the opportunity to participate in development workshops arranged by KADRA. She learned new techniques related to raising chickens and applied them to her farm. And she saw results! Thary was able to expand her business and raise even more chickens.

Now Thary’s business is her family’s primary source of income and her entire family situation has improved. She has a sustainable business. She is excited about her success. Thary is committed to sharing her positive experience with other people so that she can inspire others to change their lives as well. She is thankful for what she learned through KADRA.

Pray for Cambodia

Pray for stability and hope in this period of political turbulence. With a national election scheduled for July 2018, the ruling party (CPP) has dissolved the most popular opposition party (CNRP). The many seats won by the CNRP in the commune (collection of 6 or so villages) election held last June have all been lost. Many radio stations and newspapers have been shut down. Some international non-government organizations that are pro-democracy have been forced to leave Cambodia. This situation weighs heavily on the hearts of our Cambodian staff and partners. International NGOs feel a sense of helplessness as the democratic space continues to diminish.
Pray for our office move to take place January 1, 2018. After 22 years in a large villa in Phnom Penh, World Renew will move to more cost-effective office space on one floor of an apartment building. Pray that the sense of family and good team spirit will continue in our new space. Pray also that the 2 guards and 2 cleaning staff who will lose their jobs as a result of this move will find rewarding work in other organizations.
Pray for World Renew and its partners as we seek to move farmers in our communities up the value chain, finding better markets for their produce. Pray also for our transition from working at the community level to scale up our impact by networking our community-based organizations at the commune level.
Thanks for the wonderful group of people who came to see our work on the Discovery Tour in November. We give thanks for the bonding and sharing among the group, the meaningful interactions our visitors had with our staff, partners, and community members and the fun and laughter along the way.

(Left) Joyce Suh and her son Issac walking through the rice fields for lunch in a community. Joyce, a missionary with Resonate Global Missions in Cambodia, led the Discovery tour participants on an enriching prayer journey as they discovered how God is working in Cambodia through World Renew. (Right) Discovery Tour participants enjoy the wonders of Angkor Wat with two World Renew staff members.