Siem, a widow at age 53, smiled broadly as she welcomed us into her home the other day. Her daughter and a friend were sitting on the ground filling homemade, banana-leaf pots with dirt for transplanting tomato seedlings (See photo). I watched, enthralled, as they repeated the procedure numerous times and then moved a tray-full of the delicate plants into a nearby greenhouse. Talk about resourcefulness!
Siem's loan of $500 is being repaid on schedule as of November. This is the first time she has taken out a loan through Maxima Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd. here in Cambodia. Previously, she had borrowed money from a bank but switched because it was time-consuming to go to Phnom Penh to make payments. She is very happy now borrowing through Maxima as they make house calls to collect the monthly payments. This has been an invaluable time-saver for her so that she doesn't lose time from her work. This new loan, funded through Kiva, has enabled her to purchase fertilizers and pesticides for her farm. She also used a portion of the loan to repair her irrigation pump.
Like her parents before her, and their parents, Siem is a farmer. She's been doing it for over 30 years and says the work comes easily for her as it's all she's ever known. As Siem explained it, she's able to plant year-round, though the size of her plot of land varies seasonally due to flooding. Throughout the year she fluctuates between varying crops of fruits and vegetables - long beans, tomatoes, bananas and squash are but a few. A local buyer comes to her home every day to purchase her produce. Here's an example of a typical cycle - 6 weeks ago, Siem planted long beans. It's now time to harvest, and for the next month she'll be able to pick 50-70 Kilos on an average day! Though prices are constantly fluctuating due to supply and demand, Siem estimates she makes about 50% profit for the money spent on the farm. However, she says that the income is only enough to cover the family's basic living expenses and is regretful that she wasn't able to provide as good an education for her children as she had once hoped.
Of her eight children, 2 daughters are married and away from home. Another works in the local government-run garment factory. Her youngest daughter, 14, is still in school and helps her in the afternoons. All four sons are living at home and farm with her. As the future has already been determined for the majority of her children, her main focus now is on her youngest and for improving the business. She hopes that when this loan has been repaid she will take another to build a new toilet (outhouse) and make other improvements to their home.
MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd.
Posted by Tami Rowan from Kean Svay district, Cambodia
Nov 12, 2007
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Comments
Thank you Tami for the beautifully detailed description of Siem Morm and her children. It's excellent to hear how she is using her loan in a manner that directly improves the situation of her children in less than a generation. Keep it coming!
Best, Jordyan
Posted by Jordyan Edmiston from San Francisco, California
Nov 16, 2007
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