Chheang Leang's success story

“For the past five years, my family’s daily and monthly revenues and profits have risen gradually. First, I used the VisionFund credit to buy fertilizer for rice farming, then to create new assets to run a new business, to raise pigs and expand my business,” Leang says.

In 2003, Leang received a loan of 100,000 Riel (US$25) to purchase fertilizer to make her family’s rice grow better and to facilitate their traditional palm juice production. The following year, she borrowed KHR 500,000 (US$125) to purchase a motorbike and a cart for operating ice cream and fruit juice business.  In 2005, she was given KHR 800,000 (US$200) in loan to buy six piglets. In 2006 and 2007, she borrowed KHR800, 000 and KHR500, 000 respectively to buy more input for her ice cream and fruit juice trade.

“Before these loans, I earned only KHR1, 000 (about US$0.25) per day from palm juice production and farming,” Leang says of her past. “I always worried about my children in terms of their schooling, and about daily food. Sometimes I could not afford the daily meal.”

For the sake of their ice cream and fruit juice business, Leang’s family has since 2006 moved to Tuol Sdao village in Krang Chek commune from neighboring Trapeang Sangkae village, where they lived in a small thatched house built directly on the ground.

The family’s life conditions have improved with increased assets and incomes, some of which goes to the expense of education for five of their six children, aged 6 to 18, who are currently at primary school.

“Now, due to VisionFund loans, my family and I are happier. We have four cows, one bicycle, three beds and three big water jars. We have sufficient food,” Leang says.

 “Particularly, I can send my children to school. Before, only two of them could attend school. What we have now stems most noticeably from low- interest VisionFund loans. Many thanks to VisionFund Cambodia”

Currently, Leang earns about KHR50, 000 (US$ 12.5) in revenue per day from the ice cream and fruit juice business alone, with a profit of about 10,000 Riel (US$2.5). She plans to borrow more from VisionFund Cambodia to increase her business, and, with revenues, hopes to send her 16-year-old eldest son, Doung Rakmony, to at least high school.

Doung Rakmony is annually given school materials until grade 12 under VisionFund Cambodia’s Children Scholarship Program, as part of one of the Client Awards, which his mother won for best performance in 2007.

“I resolve to help Doung Rakmony, who is now in grade 6, to pursue high school education,” Leang says with serious facial expression. “And hopefully, he will get good employment in an organization in the future.”