Rom Chan Oun, (Note the ELCA sticker on the tuktuk)
Unlike many Cambodians who live near the border with Thailand, Rom Chan Oun decided not to migrate to Thailand to work. Instead, she joined the local Bour Samaki Meanchey Agricultural Cooperative. The Bour AC, located in Battambang province in western Cambodia, is a initiative that supports farmers, creates employment opportunities, and improves access to essential goods and services within the community. The cooperative is supported by Lutheran Hope Cambodia Organization, which in turn is supported by ELCA World Hunger.
Before joining the agricultural cooperative, “I was just a housewife and not many knew me,” says Chan Oun. “But now, I’m involved in market linkages and operate the coop tukuk.”
This has come through World Hunger’s particular support for Bour AC’s Women Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Agriculture Cooperative project. This project aims to increase income from selling pure drinking water – one of Bour AC’s enterprises – and provide for gathering, distributing and connecting to local markets. The tuktuk Chan Oun drives is part of all this.
Meanwhile, Chan Oun’s family income has improved, and she is now able to send her children to school. “I seek to work as a team, sharing responsibilities with all those in the cooperative. More than anything, people say to me: ‘oh, you are such a strong woman.’ I feel proud.”
