STORY
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty
Two moms find hope through health and education with Cambodian Children’s Fund
Vitamin Angels provides nutrition interventions, including vitamin A and deworming, to Cambodian Children’s Fund, one of its program partners in Cambodia. Meet two of the families who received these interventions!
Ra’s Journey: From Scavenging to Security
Ra and her two children have endured extreme hardship. For years, they faced the daily reality of a seemingly unbreakable cycle of poverty. Ra earned money as a scavenger in the Steung Meanchey garbage dump in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital. Many families, including children, work and live in the dump, collecting recyclable materials like plastic and cans to sell, regardless of the weather. Some days, the heat was unbearable. Other times, the rain would pour down, soaking them as they worked beneath makeshift tents.
Homes in the Steung Meanchey garbage dump in Cambodia.
Ra said that every day felt like a battle for survival, making it impossible for her to give her children proper care. They frequently fell ill and remained underweight and weak. The money she made scavenging wasn’t enough to cover the basics. On good days, she might have earned $5 (USD), but more often than not, it was only about $1.50—far from enough to provide proper housing, nutrition, or clothing for her family.
Ra’s daughter, experiencing better days at Cambodian Children’s Fund
When she connected with Cambodian Children’s Fund (CCF), Ra’s life took a turn for the better. CCF, a community support organization, offers hope for an entirely new way of life. Ra’s children were invited to attend the organization’s on-site schools and were provided with clean clothes, hygiene products, and a safe environment in which to learn. They no longer had to worry about food, health, or hygiene — their lives were transformed. CCF also provided proper medical care for her children, including vitamin A and deworming treatments provided by Vitamin Angels. Almost immediately, she noticed a difference; her children’s skin cleared up, their health improved, and they began to grow.
Ra was offered a job at CCF as a nanny, allowing her to care for other children in the facility while also looking after her own. This opportunity gave her the financial stability she desperately needed and, most importantly, peace of mind. She could shift her focus from daily survival to her children’s future for the first time in years.
Ra now works as a caregiver at CCF.
Looking back, Ra can hardly recognize the life she once lived. The days of scavenging under the harsh sun or in the pouring rain are now behind her. Ra successfully broke the dangerous cycle of poverty, offering her family the chance for a brighter future.
Panhabotr stands with her children in their new home in a CCF village.
Panhabotr’s Journey: From Factory to Fresh Start
Panhabotr begins each day at 5 a.m., preparing breakfast for her children. She ensures they have enough to eat before they head off—her youngest goes to the Cambodian Children’s Fund nursery and her two older children to school at CCF.
Her kids love sports, especially basketball. Her middle child, a 9-year-old daughter, enjoys playing “school,” and pretending to be a teacher. Panhabotr’s children are very helpful around the house, often doing chores to support their mother. Their help is necessary, as Panhabotr works as a dishwasher in a local restaurant, a job she prefers far more than her previous one in a garment factory.
Panhabotr’s youngest child loves sports…and balloons!
In the past, she and her children lived in a cramped room next to a factory, struggling to make ends meet. In addition to her factory job, she often sold items on the street with her kids in tow, frequently working long hours and overtime. It was a tough life. Then, an amazing opportunity came through CCF. The family moved into a new home in a CCF village built by World Housing.
Panhabotr and her family outside their new village.
Panhabotr is grateful for all of the support CCF has offered her family, from providing her with housing to offering her children education and providing her medical care during her pregnancies and childbirth. CCF also distributed vitamin A supplements provided by Vitamin Angels to all of her children, and her youngest received deworming treatment, which she remarked had improved his health.
After work, she usually buys fresh food from the market and prepares healthy meals for her family. While she cleans up after dinner, her older children help their younger siblings with homework. Their life has a rhythm—a balance between work, learning, and family time.
Mom washes dishes in her new home.
When Panhabotr looks back on her life, she can’t help but wonder where her family would be if they hadn’t found CCF. The support they’ve received has been life-changing. Without it, she believes her family would have continued to struggle, especially during times of illness or exhaustion. Now, she can manifest a better future for her children, one where they can follow their passions and build successful lives.
