2. Cambodian Hope Organisation
CONNECTED CHURCH
Cambodian Hope Organisation

3. SMALL THINGS, GREAT LOVE
March 2016

4. Mean Dara, aged 60
My name is Mean Dara and at 60 years old I have experienced a lot of life. I have two beautiful children and a beautiful wife who live with me here in a small, rural village in Poipet.
My wife and I are farmers. Living in a rural area with lots of empty land lying about farming is one of the most common ways to keep a family afloat around here. Most people grow just enough food to feed their family, and some of the more skilled farmers have enough to sell at market. But for years we haven’t even been able to grow enough for the four of us. We relied on the generosity of neighbours, but with everyone going through the same struggle we were always hungry.

5. ‘They not only became my teachers, they became my friends giving me a new hope for the future’
It broke my heart, but my children had to drop out of school to start work so we could afford food. This is sadly so common in my village. The choice between having an education and having enough food is an obvious one when painful stomachs and lack of energy are a daily reality.
It was a few weeks later that a neighbour told me about the agricultural workshops CHO were running. I had heard of CHO the good work CHO were doing in our village, but a lack of confidence meant I never thought they would be able to help me. How wrong I was! <strong>They not only became my teachers, they became my friends</strong> giving me a new hope for the future.

6. CHO’s small acts of kindness means my life, and the lives of my family have seen big transformation
I learnt so many new gardening skills, and CHO gave me seeds and tools for me to put what I had learnt into practice in my own garden. This new crop has been enough for me to feed my family with enough left to sell at the market.
I cannot thank CHO enough. <strong>Their small act of kindness means my life, and the lives of my family have seen big transformation.</strong> We are healthier, less stressed, more peaceful and I am planning for my children to return to school soon - and who knows how much education will change their lives, and the lives of their children!

7. PRAYER
We are expecting a long, dangerous drought in Cambodia this year. Please pray for rain.