Cambodia - Our Second Partner Family

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This is the Bio as provided by Habitat for Humanity of Cambodia.

Chhung Song Tet and family, a wife and four children, are living in the corridor road area, the land belongs to the state situated in 13 Makara Village Center, Prek Preah Sdach, Battambang Municipality, Battambang Province since 2005. Song Tet, 37 works as a construction worker, while his wife Boeung Tol, 27, is selling vegetable in the market to support the family and their kids to schools.

“We’ve been living in this area after we got married, many years ago. We left Phnom Penh city and came to find the job in Battambang,” Song Tet shared about his family life. “We lived with my brother at first due to the financial constraint and moved out a year later to find the bigger space to live.” Song Tet and his wife began new lives on the state land as he saw other families settled in that area as well. He received the permit from village chief to build one small house made of stilt, bamboo floor with partly zinc wall and roof. He managed to earn around $100 per month if he could find the regular job. In the meantime, Tol could make around $150 per month from her vegetable business. This revenue is used to support daily living, education for children and repayment for the loan.



Living on an unsecured land with old and small house, Song Tet’s family is facing many concerns. “We are worried now that the government would evict us from the land at any time because we do not have the legal ownership of the plot of land we live,” said Song Tet. In addition to an eviction, Song Tet added that their current house condition is another challenge. “We are trying to work hard to send our kids to school for their future that we do not have the ability to fix our house. There is always flooding, leaking, and insects during the rainy season, while there is no state water supply or electricity connection till today.”



Through the Social Land Concession project in collaboration between HFH Cambodia and Battambang Municipality Governor, Song Tet's family receives a plot of land on the82 land plot project, in which he's voluntary relocated. The area's size is 4.5m x 8m, located in O’Kcheay Village, Prek Preah Sdach Sangkat, Battambang Municipality, Battambang Province.



HFH Cambodia will provide 75% support to the family on the construction, in addition to zincs sheet and a toilet pan, electric and water connection, technical assistance, and build support from the Global Village team. The other 25% is acquired from the micro-finance institution in Battambang.





“This is a great privilege for my family, for we will soon have our own and substantial house on the secure land. We couldn’t thank enough for the blessing, and we are looking forward to the arrival of the volunteers to build my new home with us,” Song Tet said.

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