DRT Project Success Stories

1. Success Case Replication stories

Soung Deum, wood carver

Soung Deum is a 31 year old man who was an agricultural worker before losing his leg in a landmine explosion when he was 18. His family is poor and he wanted to earn additional income to improve their living conditions. The DRT Assistant Coordinator for Disability Issues (ACDI) in Siem Reap identified a potential training opportunity in wood-carving in a neighbouring village, 2 kilometres from his home.

Soung Deum was introduced to the wood-carver, Kim Neap, who agreed to train him in carving ox-carts to be sold in souvenir shops in Siem Reap. Kim Neap learned his craft in 1993 from other wood-carving families in his village, and he in turn has passed on his skills, free of charge, to others. Soung Deum is the first person with a disability he has trained.

The ACDI paid for wood-carving tools and some materials (approximately $80) to support the trainer of Soung Deum. When his training is completed, Soung Deum plans to ask for a grant or loan to purchase his own tools and to work from his own home. In time, he is willing to train other people if there is a sufficient market demand for these products. His training period is six months and average income $32 per month.

Koeung Van and his wife Pheum, incense sticks

Koeung Van, his wife and 8 surviving children live in a simple thatched house. They are a very poor family who could barely buy enough food to eat before they learned the skill of making incense sticks from other people in their village. The ACDI from the DRT Project referred Koeung Van to have an artificial leg made at Handicapped International, and arranged for another family to train him in incense stick making. He was given enough money to buy his initial supplies, and after just one month of work, he is now selling his products. The family can now buy rice and groceries with their own income.

Van Tuch, knitting

Van Tuch is a 16 year-old mobility-impaired woman who succumbed to polio. She has learned to knit and crochet from a neighbour, Mrs Im Sopheap. The DRT project provided Van Tuch with a wheelchair and a small grant to purchase knitting needles and wool. A training fee of $20 was paid to the trainer to teach Van Tuch for a month. She is now knitting garments for people in the village and making small hats for sale in the local market. She often starts work at 5am to avoid knitting in the heat of the day, and is earning an average of $15 per month.

Chea Saveun, soy milk production

In only 2 weeks, 19 year old visually impaired Chea Saveun learned the skill of making milk from grinding soya beans. She was trained by a neighbour, Lang Lar, and has established her own successful business by making, bottling and selling the milk. Chea Saveun bought her ice box and bottles with her own money, but she would like a small loan to buy more bottles as her business is growing. Her overhead costs include the soy beans which she buys from the market and a small monthly payment to her aunt who provides the electricity for her to operate the bean-grinding machine. Her income varies depending on demand - for example, she makes and sells more milk at festival times. She is very happy with her business success and appears to be well-regarded in her community. She is willing to train someone else in this work if they come from a village far away from her own, so that they won't compete with her.

Cheng Sokleng, stone carver

After completing a training course in radio and TV repairs, Cheng Sokleng was not able to get started in business because he lacked enough money. He was keen to work, so he then approached a woman with a stone-carving business to seek an on-the-job training position. The ACDI helped to coordinate this placement to make sure that Cheng Sokleng would be successful. He earns a salary and has been in the position for four years. The trainer is willing to train others free of charge if they demonstrate a capacity for the craft. She provides meals and pays the trainees when their work is of a high enough quality to sell. Cheng Sokleng may train another person with a disability some time in the future.

2. Graduates of Vocational Training Centres

Chhuth Samon, tailor

Chhuth Samon spent 18 months at the JCIA Training Centre in Phnom Penh to learn tailoring skills. She is a 24 year old single woman who had polio. She is now earning $30-$35 a month in her own business and is training three other women for a small fee. Initially, Chhuth Samon's parents were very reluctant to let her travel to Phnom Penh, but the ACDI worked hard for more than 2 months to coordinate the placement and to reassure her family that she would be safe.

Prak Sina, embroiderer

Prak Sina is a single woman in her late 30's. She lives with her family who runs a small roadside store. Since learning embroidery skills with Tabitha (a Cambodian NGO), Prak Sina now embroiders pictures on T-shirts to sell in the market in Siem Reap. Each T-shirt takes 2 days to complete and she is able to earn approximately $15 per week. With her earnings, she is almost totally supporting her family. Prak Sina is the first woman with a disability to be trained at Tabitha, an organisation which assists poor rural women.

Yim Deuk, men's barber

Yim Deuk is a double amputee who was a soldier before he lost his legs. He was trained in men's haircutting in a 4-month course at the Provincial Training Centre in 1997. He is 32 years of age and married with three children. Prior to learning this skill, he made a small income by repairing bikes and raising pigs. Since establishing his haircutting business he has been able to pay back a loan of $100 provided to him through the project, and he says he is now a trusted and respected member of his community. He completes about 5 or 6 haircuts a day, but is hoping to increase his business when his special work platform is further modified to make it easier for his customers to get into the barber's chair. The ADCI is providing advice about the modification, but Yim Deuk will pay for the work himself.

Ham Poe, radio and TV repairs

Ham Poe is 28. He lives with his brother and has established a small business in radio and TV repairs, since completing a 12-month course at the JCIA Training Centre in Phnom Penh. He used to repair bikes, but he can now earn more money fixing radios, as there is little competition in his village in this area of work. He would like to train others in this skill when he becomes more established.

Hieng Heng, welder and bike repairer

Hieng Heng has a well-established small business. He completed a welding course at the PTC in1998 and now owns a welding machine and rents a store from which he sells bike parts and does repairs. He is able to support his 8 children and send them to school. He took a loan to buy the tools he needed for his business and has paid the full amount back to the PTC.

Mut Sina, trainer in rattan furniture-making

Mut Sina has been living and working for two years as a trainer at Ptea Teuk Dong, a small Cambodian NGO which works to improve the lives of street families in Battambang province. He supports his wife and children who live in a village about 10 km from Battambang. Mut Sina had had a very hard life prior to meeting the ACDI. He had lived in a border camp for over 20 years. When repatriated, he was very poor and while searching for food in the forest, he stepped on a landmine and lost a leg. The DRT project referred him to ICOC to have a prosthesis fitted and provided him with training in rattan furniture making. However, he could not continue his business because of unfortunate incidents and was once again unemployed. The ACDI then negotiated with Ptea Teuk Dong to accept him as a trainer at their centre. Mut Sina hopes one day to return to his village and start his own business again.

Tonn Ratana, sewing

Tonn Ratana had never worked prior to training in tailoring at JCIA, but is now earning a good income by making clothes for customers and training three other young women. Her trainees are paying a training fee and Tonn Ratana is now able to support herself and her elderly father. In addition to facilitating her training, the DRT provided her with a new wheelchair and loans to buy an embroidery machine, and cement the floor of her house and workshop to aid her mobility. She has been able to repay the loan in full from her earnings.

Sy Ven, motor bike repairer

After training for 12 months at JCIA Training Centre in Phnom Penh, Sy Ven, who has a below-knee amputation, was assisted by the DRT to find employment in a busy motor-bike repair and welding workshop. He supplements his income by repairing motor-bikes from home in his own village, and he and his wife have already earned enough money from their jobs to build a small new house.

Pan Paully, motor bike mechanic

In the face of a hard struggle over the past 10 years since he lost both legs in a landmine accident, Pan Paully has learned to overcome his disability and is now considered a leader in his community by disabled as well as non-disabled people. Formerly a policeman, Pan Paully suffered a severe loss of income following his accident and his family still appears poor. However, since training in motor bike repair work at the World Vision Training Centre in Battambang in 1999 he has earned enough money to pay back a US$200 loan provided to help him start his business, and is rebuilding a section of his house and workshop. He earns between $2-$5 per day. Pan Paully has a wheelchair donated by World Vision and has designed and built his own motorised tricycle for travelling longer distances.

Bun Born, welder and motor repairer

Bun Born completed a training course at the Provincial Training Centre. He was offered a loan to buy tools, but refused it. He has been able to purchase his own tools and set up a busy small business in a good location on a main road near his home. He rents his workshop and makes an average income of $2 per day.

Rin Chantthy, tailor

Even before losing her leg in an accident in 1999, Rin Chantthy faced great hardship as a young unmarried woman with a child. She and her elderly mother were very poor and their house was falling down. She was very depressed and unable to help herself. She was fitted with a prosthesis by Handicap International in Pursat, and referred to Rolaing Training Centre to learn tailoring. The DRT provided her with her a sewing machine, Handicap International helped her to build a new home and World Vision has given her some chickens to raise. Rin Chantty now has a successful business making clothes for customers and also buying, fixing and re-selling second-hand clothes. With her earnings, she has built her own tailoring workshop and started a small general roadside store. She is now happy, proud of her achievements and rebuilding her self-esteem.

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