Every Home Has A Story.
We recently sat down with the Soeun family and asked them about their lives before moving into a World Housing community. Read their inspiring story and see how far they’ve come…
“We moved into the World Housing community in March 2014. Before that we lived in Kandal province where my husband and I worked as farmers. When we had free time, we cut down wood and sold it to earn extra income.
We moved to Phnom Penh because when we collected the crop, it wasn’t enough for us to survive. My husband moved to Phnom Penh first. He lived in Phnom Penh for around one year and then he brought us to live there with him.
At first, my husband worked as a CENTRI worker (garbage collection) and I worked as a scavenger. I could earn 6000 riel ($1.5USD) per day and my husband earned $30 per month. I started scavenging from 6am in the morning and came back home at 5pm. I used to work at the dumpsite. I felt afraid and there were always bad smells. I often went to the hospital because the bad smells made me feel sick. When I felt better, I went to work again.
One word to describe our house: safety. Before, our home situation was very difficult. There was no space for living, and it often flooded. It was dark and dirty, because of the mud. Now, it is safe. It is the best for us. We can live upstairs and downstairs.
“My favourite subject is English because I want to speak with my sponsor and go abroad. – Sreypich, 11 years old”
We are happy here. In the old house, our neighbours always had a lot of arguments. It wasn’t safe. Here it is safe. We cook food together and watch TV together. When my grandchildren grow up, I hope they can get good jobs.”