Impact story

Hing Menghuch, 54, was a person with disabilities who had only completed the 10th grade. He was shy and had limited contact with others before joining FH Cambodia. Neighbors looked down on his family, criticized them, and tended to ignore them. His living conditions were not sanitary, and his family was not flourishing as a result of low income, lack of budget management, misdirected spending, and no knowledge about the saving group.

He began attending meetings with FH Cambodia, he said,  because he recognized the value of saving to help his family cope with unnecessary expenses. Soon, he established a Village Development Committee and organized a meeting to promote the benefits of saving groups. At the meeting, a group was formed and an election to choose a group leader was held.

He was chosen to bethe saving group’s leader, and he soon learned how to manage a team and create a well-defined plan for saving money. His Savings group has been active for three years and now has 12 members with a balance of KHR 19,693,800 (US$4,923.45).

Hing Menghuch and his family have also benefited from membership in the group, he said.

“My family borrowed money from the saving group during the pandemic to raise vegetables, fish, and chicks for our own sustenance, as well as to pursue rice farming. When the group applied what we had learned, it resulted in numerous improvements that aided my family and our community.

“There had been a lack of clarity on farming procedures, but after FH came on board, we learned a great deal about saving money as a group, borrowing money, and developing a clear and accurate cost-expense plan as well as a clear plan for saving money.”

Now, his family consistently has enough money to meet their needs. They assist others in community development activities and have earned the love and respect of their village neighbors.