Srey Nuch's story: a successful entrepreneur

Srey Nuch was injured when she was a teenager. Despite not having a lot of money, her family had to pay for her treatment, driving them into debt. With Srey Nuch’s incredible determination, positive attitude and with support from Humanity & Inclusion (HI), she now owns her own business and has become a successful entrepreneur!

When she was a teenager, Srey Nuch fell from the top of a tamarind tree (a common fruit tree in Cambodia) as she was picking pods for her family meal.

After her accident, her family had to pay for her treatment. To afford this, her parents sold their belongings and borrowed money from village moneylenders. The family experienced a steep decline in their living standards. To pay off their debts Srey Nuch's two older brothers dropped out school to find work. Since Srey Nuch was unable to stand, she also had to stop attending classes.

The family live in a stilt house and because she couldn’t climb the seven steps, Srey Nuch moved to a small outbuilding close to her family. During the rainy season, it was almost impossible for her to move around the grounds of the house.

Support from HI at Kampong Cham rehabilitation centre

Srey Nuch's family lives in a village near the Kampong Cham rehabilitation centre run by HI, where she has been given follow-up care since 2015. The centre has provided her with rehabilitation care, a wheelchair and orthoses.

"Srey Nuch's condition has really improved. To begin with, she couldn't move her legs at all. So I began by doing physiotherapy exercises with her and showed her mother so they could do them at home. We also gave her with a wheelchair. Initially she found it hard to move from the chair to her bed or the toilet. But she put in a lot of practice and now she moves around with her crutches and orthoses,"

says Vimean Srun, HI’s physiotherapist.

A journey to become a successful entrepreneur

HI’s socio-economic inclusion project team helped put Srey Nuch’s plans to become a seamstress into action. She was given a sewing machine and material to get her business up and running. She also joined an inclusive community investment programme which taught her how to sew. Now, she makes beautiful clothes and, thanks to her sewing business, her living standards have increased significantly.

Srey Nuch told HI…

“It was an awful experience, and it left me disabled, and with my family we went through a lot of pain and some really tough times,"

she explains.

“It was hard. I couldn't move around, and that made me feel sad. But since I’ve been able to access rehabilitation services, I feel a lot more hopeful about the future. With my orthoses, crutches and wheelchair I can move around the house, go out, and visit my neighbours. I can do a lot of things without help, like washing myself and my clothes, and cooking. I love cooking! I can even go into the garden and pick lemongrass to make my favourite dish! I also earn an income from my sewing skills, which helps my family. I’m really grateful to HI and everyone who wants me to be part of the community."

And she’s not going to stop there....

“As well as sewing, I am going to start raising chickens to earn more and help my younger brother go to school,” she says with a smile.