Rachna’s Story

“We cannot imagine that our lives and living conditions would have changed. Without Hagar’s support, our lives would be in jeopardy, especially when my husband and I used to go to work in Thailand and leave our children with their grandmother and they could not go to school as they do today. We now have a steady income and are with our children, and we have hope,” Rachna said.

Rachna and her husband were in debt. With two children and no stable income or job opportunities within their community, they decided to engage a broker to find them work in Thailand as illegal migrant workers. The couple’s two children were sent to stay with their grandparents while they were away.

In Thailand, Rachna worked as hard as the men, but was paid much less. The construction manager who employed them did not fully pay them as promised, instead paying only enough for daily meals. He told Rachna and her husband that the wage deductions were to pay for the costs of transporting the couple from Cambodia to Thailand and brokerage fees. Sometimes Rachna was forced to work overtime without any pay.

“It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I miss our children so much and I am afraid we will die there if we do not find our way home.” Rachna

In 2021, Rachna and her husband were able to escape and return home. But things did not get any easier for the couple. They still had debt to pay and did not have enough money to provide the family with enough food. Rachna and her husband found jobs in the community, but these were not stable and the income was not enough to support their family.

In early 2022, Rachna and her family were referred to Hagar for support. Hagar staff helped the family assess what business opportunities were available for them in their community. They found that the family had the potential for growing agricultural products. With a business plan developed, Rachna and her family planted corn, chili, and sweet potatoes. A water pumping machine, fuel, and other farming equipment was provided by Hagar to support their new enterprise. The family was very committed to their new business. They hoped that it would enable them to escape poverty and prevent them being exposed to the risk of exploitation from migrating far from their children and home again.

“We are so delighted that Hagar has given me the opportunity to grow these crops and motivate us to do our best to address our situation and a better future for our children. I will do my best with my husband to plant these seeds and I hope we get a good product and get income to support our family.” Rachna

With the profit from their first harvest, Rachna was able to persuade her husband to expand the business and grow more sweet potato in addition to their current crops. Based on their experience and market demand, the family plan to triple their crop, renting more land from their neighbours. The couple hope this will triple their income.

“Now we have enough to eat and send our children to school and pay off our debts slowly. We will expand our business,” Rachna

The new business development skills, learned from the project, have led to the couple becoming good entrepreneurs. They not only depend on the income from the farm, Rachna also grows vegetables around the house for the family’s consumption, with surplus being sold at the market. Rachna’s husband works as a day labourer in the community to earn extra income to support his family while waiting for the harvest.

“I will do my best not to leave our children behind again and we will save our money for the education of our children in the hope that they will have a better future. We cannot thank you enough for the support that Hagar gave us. Live with hope for a better future,” Rachna.