“Children’s Safety Comes First”

Meet Pisey (pseudonym), a strong and loving single mother with two school-aged daughters, ages 12 and 9 and a 5-year-old boy who stays at home with her. Pisey doesn’t have a stable job, but she

 does odd-jobs to try to support her family by collecting snails, picking water spinach, washing dishes at a local soup restaurant, or working as a kitchen helper at weddings.

Despite her efforts, she struggled to put food on the table while caring for her young children. When she had work, she had to find a family member or neighbor to look after her young children,

 which was sometimes unsafe. The wooden floor was rotting, making it unsafe for the family to sleep inside. However, the bed underneath the house where the family slept was exposed to the elements, animals, and neighbors, making it unsafe.

But thanks to the generous support from The Association of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), CFI was able to change this mother’s life.

Pisey’s family was chosen for the model house to test out the new design by volunteer architect Stephan Buehrer. This involved

 working with a local builder to make sure the plans became a reality, which took a bit of trial and error to understand exactly how much of each material was needed. We designed the walls to be a traditional palm leaf weave, which is both economical and allows for better airflow and less heat during Cambodia’s hot season. Pisey herself helped make the palm leaf walls, which will mean she

 can more easily replace them if there is damage or wear.

It was such a joy seeing Pisey’s youngest boy running from window to window in his new house, playing in a space that is theirs

 and is safe. The whole family can now sleep peacefully at night without fear of the rain. Pisey can focus more on caring for her kids and thinking about their future.

One of the daughters smiled and said, “Thank you for making me feel safe and warm at night. I don’t have to worry about water coming through the roof anymore.”

This house is the first of about 10 that CFI will build this year based on this model and represents a significant improvement in the quality of support provided to families that need it. This will make a huge difference in the community towards more sustainable and long lasting contributions. For Pisey, this is more than just a new house – it’s a new beginning and a chance for three beautiful children to grow up in a safe space and dream of a brighter future.

To everyone who made this possible, thank you. You didn’t just build a house. You built hope.