The Shift from Migration to Earning Income Within the Village
After COVID‑19, life was uncertain for Mr. Kchay Soreang, 28, and Mrs. Mao Yany, 33, a young couple from Ou Rombaeng village, Kampong Thom province. They married during the pandemic with no formal celebration and returned to live with Yany’s widowed mother, who was already supporting younger children. With no stable livelihood, the household struggled to meet daily needs.
Unable to find work in their village, the couple migrated in search of income—within Kampong Thom and as far as Phnom Penh. They accepted any job available: factory work, construction labor, seasonal farm work, and small trading. Often, husband and wife lived apart. After giving birth to her daughter, Yany left the child in her mother’s care so she could continue working wherever income was available.
Despite constant effort, the family remained trapped in debt. Yany’s health declined after she contracted dengue fever following childbirth, and stress eventually led to chronic anxiety. Migration brought temporary income but deepened physical, emotional, and family strain.
In 2023, a turning point emerged when Yany joined the Ta Riem Agricultural Community through her older sister. Through the community and with support from World Vision International in Cambodia, Yany participated in training on vegetable growing, chicken raising, financial management, health, and childcare. With provided vegetable seeds and chickens, her family began cultivating their long‑unused residential land.
As their confidence and skills grew, they transformed small garden plots into productive home‑based farming. By learning from training, local agricultural officers, other farmers, and online resources, the family expanded into protected net‑house vegetable production that reduced climate and pest risks.
“Before World Vision’s support, we had to migrate for work and live apart. With seeds, training, and guidance, we learned how to earn an income at home—and for the first time, our family could stay together.”
Today, Yany produces approximately 250–300 kilograms of vegetables each month, earning around 1 to 1.3 million riels. Her husband supplements the household income through local work such as transport, construction, and metalwork—without leaving the village. Together, they are able to repay microfinance loans on time, purchase farming equipment, and cover medical costs that allow Yany to continue her treatment in Phnom Penh.
By choosing to stop migrating and instead build livelihoods within their village, the family now lives together, cares for their child and elderly mother, and plans for the future. Yany hopes to expand her vegetable production, purchase nearby land, and construct additional net houses to increase income sustainably.
This shift—from migration to local opportunity—has not only improved their economic situation but restored family unity, health, and dignity.