More than six years after moving into their home in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province, Eat and her husband Phlonh no longer have to worry about the constant home repairs. That was not the case when they were living in a thatched house that would leak during the rainy season. 

Then and now

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Eat with two of her children outside their old thatched house in Siem Reap, Cambodia, circa 2019.

Eat and Phlonh with their children outside their newly dedicated home that was built together with international volunteers in 2019.

Eat (right) with her eldest daughter Eng outside their current home that they share with a few family members.

Eat with two of her children outside their old thatched house in Siem Reap, Cambodia, circa 2019.

Eat and Phlonh with their children outside their newly dedicated home that was built together with international volunteers in 2019.

Eat (right) with her eldest daughter Eng outside their current home that they share with a few family members.

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The couple also has peace of mind, particularly when they have to leave for work. With a secure home and a lockable door, they know that their children can stay safe until they return. Eat, who weaves baskets at home, goes to the forest every few days to harvest wild rattan. Phlonh works in construction or fishing depending on the work that is available.

Their home is also special for another reason. Eat, 36, and Phlonh, 37, built their home together with international volunteers during the 2019 Cambodia Big Build in Siem Reap province. Phlonh put in hours of his own labor by working alongside the volunteers in laying bricks and passing wooden slats to the volunteers.

Phlonh recalled that in their old hut, there was hardly any room for daily activities such as household chores and school work. Now, the balcony is a precious space. “We never had a balcony before,” he says in an interview by phone. There, he and his family would gather to relax in the evening and the children could do their school work.

Cambodian homeowner Eat weaving and her home on stilts (right)

Eat (left) makes a living by weaving baskets at home. Her husband Phlonh (not pictured) likes having an upper floor balcony where the family gathers to relax.

Currently, Eat and Phlonh live with their four children aged between six and 18, son-in-law and granddaughter in their home built in 2019. “This home marked a significant milestone in our lives. It gave us the opportunity to save money and live a dignified life,” Eat says.

Since 2003, Habitat for Humanity Cambodia has been working with families like Eat and Phlonh to build or improve a place they call home. Through multisector partnerships, Habitat builds resilient homes with communities, act as a voice for policy changes and implements programs to make housing markets more inclusive. Learn more at https://habitatcambodia.org/en/

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