Help a Young Cambodian Family

In July 2020, we (myself and my two daughters Molly and Julianna) will be traveling to Cambodia to visit my cousin Timmy and his boyfriend Yanuth.  We wanted to see if, while there, we could do something to help someone in need.  Turns out, Yanuth has a sister, named Srey Oan, who is in dire need of help and we’d like to do everything we can to turn life around for her and her family.

Srey Oan lives with her husband Polo and their three children.  They live in a small village called Phnom Krom and as the pictures show, they live in what would not even be considered a shed by U.S. standards.  They have no kitchen, no bathroom, no front door and when it rains they all get wet.  It is basically one room where they all sleep.  For protein, they sometimes have to eat field rats.

They had a family business, where they sold ducklings, yes ducklings.  Their ducklings caught a sickness that wiped them all out.  They lost their house and they lost their land.  Now, they were given a very small piece of land by their family, but as you can see the house they live in is in awful shape.  It floods in the rainy season (which starts in June).  The future house has to be built on stilts.

For money, they now cut lilly stems to make bags.  It is a very long process, from picking to drying, to washing, to drying again and then weave the bags.  All for little money.

We'd like to push to raise this money to turn life around for this family.  $6,000 would get them a nice village house, with a front door, a bathroom, paint and maybe windows.  It would change their lives!  Beyond that would provide beds and some basic furnishings.  Perhaps a boat for transportation and some money to get their business back on it's feet!

Please note that NONE of this money will be used to pay for our travel expenses.  All of it will go directly to help this family.  We'd like to get this money raised as soon as possible to at least get the main structure of the house built as the flood season is fast approaching!  Then when we arrive in Cambodia, we will spend time helping/finishing in any way we can.

Polo and his wife Srey Oan are high school sweethearts!  They are very much in love and it shows.  Their children are Polen (the oldest), Poleep (middle) and Sopanett, the baby girl.  Sopanette is very shy and the boys are very respectful children.  Poleep was just taken to the hospital for a kidney problem and they expect him to be there for at least a month!

Please consider donating, even a small amount.  Personally, this means a lot knowing we can all help a family directly and that all of your money will go directly to them!  This is an important and life changing experience for this family, but also for myself and my two girls.  I would personally be so grateful for anyone who is willing to help here.  You will be updated with pics and videos with progression and get to be part of this journey!

This is the outside of their house.  

An inside photo of the bed where they sleep.

The other side of the house.

Srey Oan tending to her small garden.

Sopanett with her father as they tend to the freshly picked lilly stems.

Working with the dried lilly stems to make bags to sell.

Here are some of the bags that they hand weave from lilly stems.

High school sweethearts who are very much in love.

The family.

Polen, Poleep and Sopanett