Toilet talk

Did you know that most village people in Cambodia do not have a toilet in their home? Not even an outhouse! Their homes are a small one room hut where everyone sleeps on the floor, and underneath the house is where they usually do their cooking. But nope – no bathroom facilities whatsoever! I like camping, but after a couple of days I’ve had enough. So imagine living in one of these villages where you spend your entire life having to relieve yourself out in the open.

When visiting one of the remote provinces recently, and in need of the loo, I had to wait until we visited someone who had been in the Village Entrepreneur (VE) program long enough to afford to install a toilet (pictured below). But no – not the flushing kind. Just a simple squat toilet. This is luxury for the people in the villages and the improved hygiene is saving lives.

When locals become VEs, it is expected that by the third and final year of the program they will not only have grown a sustainable business and sent their children to school, but that they will also have installed a toilet and a water pump at their house (yes, many homes also do not have running water, let alone electricity!)

There are no services in the remote communities – no postal delivery, no street signs, no roads and no rubbish collection. People have to dispose of their own rubbish – food scraps go to the chickens and everything else is incinerated or dumped behind their homes.

This really makes you realise just how good we have it in Australia and how much we take our blessed lives for granted. If you would like to help a Cambodian villager to lift their family out of poverty by creating a micro business, visit ve.org.au.

Villagers are lucky if they have one of these at home.

Queeenslanders Credit Union staff have raised enough money to sponsor six Village Entrepreneurs, including the husband of this woman who wasn't home when we dropped by. Here she stands with her daughter out the front of their home. This style of house is very typical for people living in the provinces.

80% of Cambodians make their living as backyard farmers. These animals aren't for eating - they are used to harvest rice.

No roads. It's a very dusty, bumpy ride on a bike!

The business of breaking poverty

I’m currently staying in the city of Phnom Penh, but these last two days I have been out visiting the provinces, which is where CUFA engage most with the community. The areas are remote and credit unions are absolutely essential because the banks are too far away to access.

The credit unions are run entirely by volunteers. They don’t usually have a physical building, but are run underneath the Director’s house. There is no internet or mobile banking, no ATMs, no credit cards. Transactions are all done in person with cash and a passbook. Many people in these villages do not know how to read or write and do not have a signature, so they have to give a fingerprint instead of signing.

Credit unions pay interest on savings and also give out small loans. CUFA work with these credit unions to identify members who are the poorest of the poor and who are keen to change their situation by becoming a Village Entrepreneur (VE). They must show commitment and a clear business plan in order for CUFA to work with them. CUFA then finds Australian community investors who will sponsor an individual VE to start a small business with materials and ongoing training and support to ensure it is sustainable over the long-term.

I have met many VEs and their families over the last two days and have heard first-hand how they are now breaking the cycle of poverty and giving their children a good education.

Chea is a member of Korkithom Credit Union and proudly showed me her vegetable farm...

...She is also in the process of building a chicken coop with the profits she has made so far.

Yuth is a chicken and duck farmer and a graduate VE who was featured in the short film:
'How a chicken sent my children to school'

   

Vanna sells fish from the markets on the back of her bicycle...

...She invited us over for tea.

We bumped into this man with his mobile bakery and found out he is also a successful VE graduate.

This member of Farmer Savings for Development Credit Union raises chickens.

This family has opened up a grocery store under their house thanks to the VE Program. They also hosted us for lunch...

... it was delicious!





It's been a long day

I have met so many wonderful people today who are pulling themselves out of poverty thanks to the small business training and support provided by the CUFA.

I will have to give a proper re-cap tomorrow, but I couldn't wait to share this photo of the kids I met in one of the rural villages.

I handed out a couple of balloons and before I knew it word had somehow spread and I'd drawn a huge crowd of children who were fascinated in watching me blow up a balloon! We then had great fun throwing the balloons around to each other volleyball style.

The simple things in life are often the best.

I made it!

Hello from Phnom Penh! There is not a lot to report yet as I spent most of the day in transit.

However, I did manage to visit the CUFA office and met everyone in the team. CUFA is an international not for profit with offices in many different countries. Cambodia seems to be the main hub with 34 staff who look after everything including finance and admin, plus the all-important project officers who go out in the field to help people.

The office is run out of a large 3 story house. They have another house closeby for visitors to stay and that's where I am right now.

The staff put on a welcome afternoon tea for me and everyone was so lovely. It was really interesting to hear about the many important projects they run and the challenges facing credit unions over here.

I was very proud to see a big sign out the front of the office showing all of CUFA's supporters and there was a logo from my employer, Queenslanders Credit Union!

Meeting the CUFA team



View from my room in the CUFA house

Honour roll of sponsors out the front of the CUFA office. It's great to see Queenslanders Credit Union there!

Our own private tuk tuk - the best way to get around!

Tonight's the night

Bags are packed and at 2.35am my flight to Cambodia, via Singapore, takes off!

I'm spending just over a week with development agency CUFA, helping local credit union members break out of poverty by starting a sustainable micro business.

I will also visit some primary schools who are learning about financial literacy and get to see grass roots credit unions in action.

I have no idea what to expect. I'm excited, but also a little nervous. I'm armed with lots of gifts for the people I meet on the way, as you can see below.

As long as I have access to wifi, I will update this blog daily with details of my adventure.