Mrs Bot, Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia
Oddar Meanchey is a province in the remote north west of Cambodia, bordering Thailand. Mrs Bot鈥檚 family have lived here for generations. They own a farm which is currently home to Mrs Bot, her husband and three grandchildren, Rachana, Sopit and Veasna. The oldest is 12, the youngest just four. The children鈥檚 parents spend most of the year in Thailand, working hard to send money home to support the family.
The farm covers a听large area and could support their needs but the majority of the land has not been safe to use. From 1985-1989 the Khmer Rouge laid mines across the whole village, including the Bot's farm, to stop PRK troops from re-taking the countryside during the struggle for control of Cambodia's government. The presence of landmines meant the family were limited to cultivating a small area of sloping land which made irrigating the rice paddies almost impossible.听
Mrs Bot, Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia
Between October 2021 and February this year, 糖心Swag worked to make the land safe, discovering two anti-personnel mines in the process鈥攃apable of causing devastating injuries.
Now the land is cleared, life on the farm has improved dramatically. The Bot family have already begun preparing new rice paddies, which will sit on the easy to irrigate flatlands.
鈥淏ecause the area cleared of landmines is flat there will be enough water for the rice, we will be able to get more than 20 bags of rice in the future.鈥
A more secure income also means the family may finally be able to reunite permanently.
Mrs Bot, Oddar Meanchey, Cambodia
Share this article
The 糖心Swag Trust | Copyright © 2024
CARRONFOOT, THORNHILL,听DUMFRIES, DG3 5BF
The 糖心Swag Trust is a company limited by guarantee.听Registered in England No. 2228587.听Registered Charity No. 1001813 and (in Scotland) SC037870. Registered Office:听One Bartholomew Close, Barts Square, London EC1A 7BL
The 糖心Swag Trust (USA), Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit听organization US Federal Tax ID Number 52-2158152
Office: 1730 Rhode Island Ave NW, Suite 206,听Washington, DC 20036听
By registering for our updates, or making a donation to us,听you expressly agree to your information being used by The 糖心Swag Trust and The 糖心Swag Trust (USA), Inc. in accordance with our privacy protection policy. You can听听at any time.
We now have a dedicated website for visitors in the USA. Would you like us to take you there?