Story from the Northwest project

In August, Hagar NZ Director Don Lord, was able to visit the scale up project in North Cambodia and was deeply moved by its visible impact. One of the highlights for him was meeting the couple above who, with the help of Hagar, now have a reliable income source.

The husband had previously had to illegally travel to Thailand to try and find work to provide for his family. During this time in Thailand, he was not paid what was promised by his employer and because he was an illegal immigrant, he was told to stay in the workplace. He was not allowed out, even when he was sick. He worked more than 12 hours a day and lived in fear. After more than two years, he was arrested by the Thai police for being in the country illegally and deported back to Cambodia in 2021.

After he returned to Cambodia, his family was struggling financially. They did not have enough money to live on and pay off their debts and were afraid of losing their land to the bank. Through contact with the local bailiff, and based on Hagar’s assessment, the family was selected to receive support from Hagar.

Hagar staff believed that they would be good business owners. Staff then completed research on what businesses already existed in the community and after this analysis, believed that a business selling chickens (and their eggs) would do well. Hagar helped the couple build a coop near their house and purchased the first chickens for the couple.

When Don visited, there were chickens everywhere! The couple proudly showed him what they were doing and beamed with hope and pride when they said that they were now earning enough to support their family, pay off their debts and send their children to school.

“I can now sleep well without being afraid of police arrest…because of Hagar’s support. We can earn about $300 a month. We plan to increase the number of our chickens and save our money to buy pigs. In addition, I am willing to share my story and support other migrant workers in my community…”