A family in crisis turned to us - by Pheakdey

Kimie, a widow who lives in Psa touch village has 5 vulnerable children. 2 of her children are attending Riverkids’ Get Ready Boys and Girls Programmes. Our plan for these 2 kids is that upon their graduation from the pre-vocational training at our centre, we will send them for further specialized training at recognized Vocational Training Centres to strengthen their skills and increase their prospects for good jobs.

As Kimie was unemployed when we first met her, she could not support her family and ran into debt amounting to $ 300. The debtor demanded that she returns the money by 2 June 2009. Otherwise, they would take possession of her house.

We were glad that instead of selling her children, Kimie came to Riverkids, spoke to our Executive Director and sought help from us. To settle the debt to the owner, we worked out an amount of loan where she repayed us in monthly instalments. However, with Kimie’s limited skills, she was unable to repay the loan. So, the Executive Director came together with Riverkids' key staff members to discuss for a solution.

We provided her with a part-time job as a cleaning and laundry worker at Riverkids’ Weekly Border. Out of the 10,000 riel she earns every day, 2,000 riel goes to repayment of the loan. This solution works out very well for her because besides being able to repay the debt, she is able to take up another part-time job to earn extra income to support the family. Her kids are also kept safe now.

We are glad that vulnerable families in the community turn to us when they meet a crisis. We will continue to do our best, to give them hope and a bright future.