Cornerstones of Success: A Cambodia Testamonial
Meet Ken Yean and Ken Neary
Seven years ago, Ken Yean and his wife Neary were typical rice farmers in the Mekong Delta region of Southeast Cambodia. They and their five children eked out an existence on one hectare of paddy land. In many years, failing to meet their basic food needs.
At the same time, IDE was working with local manufacturers and dealers in their area to establish a supply chain for affordable foot-powered treadle pumps. Yean and Neary learned of the pump from their neighbours and purchased one from the local market. The total installation cost, including an 18-metre deep borehole, was about $50, which they financed with their small savings and by borrowing from family members.
Yean and Neary began growing vegetables, mostly cucumbers and bitter gourd, and within a year had paid off their loans. In subsequent years, they have earned a net additional income of between $100 and $175.
The extra income has helped them to purchase additional rice land and will finance all of their children, including the girls, through high school, an amazing achievement in rural Cambodia. "When the children are all educated, then I'll start improving the house," says Yean.
A few years ago, Yean and Neary purchased a second treadle pump to use on another plot of land that is farther away from their house. And just this year, after seven years of use, they replaced their original treadle pump with a new one.
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