Pe Chea's success story

To generate revenues through farming and business, Pe Chea, who lives approximately 12 kilometers from Preah Vihear provincial town, has been engaging in VisionFund’s finance service for the last four years.

“Thanks to the loans I first received in 2004, my family is living a better life. I used the first credit to buy pigs, then sold them to get money to run a mobile shop,” Chea says.

“With current daily income, my children can attend school. I’m so happy,” says the 47-year-old woman, who has four children under her family’s custody as two of her children are married and live independently.

Chea says mourns that previously the four children had no choice but to stop schooling as her big family earned a daily income of US$2.5 to afford two meals a day. Worse still, she also sold her land to obtain money for the medical treatment of her 48-year-old husband, Khoy Khom, who suffered from chronic stomachache pains.

In 2004, she borrowed from VisionFund US$ 125, by which she successfully bought and raised five pigs, and used the money from selling the animals to run a mobile shop selling vegetable and grocery.  In 2005, she borrowed US$ 125 to buy some chickens and a piece of land on which her house stands now. In 2006, she received a loan of US$ 125 to buy construction materials for the house.

In 2007, she received a loan of US$ 125 to produce wine, buy three pigs and increase profits from her family’s fishing and rice cultivation. The loan matures in early 2008.

Chea’s family currently earns some US$ 5 per day from selling wine and fishing. Last year, the family’s rice field generated an income of nearly US$ 200.

“Without VisionFund loans, there wouldn’t be any wine production kiln, farming, pigs or education for my children, and my husband would never be better,” she says.

One of her children is Sot Phoin, who is in grade 9 with eligibility to claim annual school materials until grade 12 from VisionFund’s Children Scholarship Program as part of one of the Client Awards, which her mother won for best performance in 2007.

“I want my children to get good education so that they can work for VisionFund,” Chea says.  “With good education, they will also help increase my business or create a new one. Thanks to VisionFund for everything that my family has at the present time.”