NHEAN NHROEUN 

Nhroeun holds two roles in Pu Ngaol; he is the Deputy Village Chief and also a member of the community committee. Outside of his roles in the community, He also works on a rice farm and collects resin from the forest with his family.  

About 

In his roles, Nhroeun meets with members of the community to discuss any challenges they may face. Financial support is available in Pu Ngaol, for those who are struggling under the Identification of Poor Households Programme (IDPoor). However, Nhroeun shares that some, particularly the elderly, struggle to access cards (called ‘poor identity cards’ or ‘equity cards’) that entitle them to governmental aid if they do not meet all the conditions during the application process. Nhroeun also shares that an NGO working to tackle gender-related issues is present in the community to provide support and guidance, which has resulted in a reduction of issues. 

Nhroeun shares that around 50% of the people in Pu Ngaol follow Buddhism while the other 50% follow traditional practices such as Preas Sen. In Pu Ngaol both are valued and celebrated during festivals such as the New Year and Pchum Ben.  

Nhroeun will usually wake up early to tend to the farm and avoid the hot weather before he attends any meetings. He will often break at midday and then return to work on the farm from 1-5pm. Preparing the farms for growing often begins in May before planting the seedlings by hand. Nhroeun’s family grow and sell potatoes, which can sell for 40,000 to 100,000 riel.

Nhroeun shares that he has a private well for water at his home for household use, which he boils before using. Before this was installed he would collect water with his children from the nearby river with large plastic bottles. By the time they would get home the water would be hot due the high temperatures in Pu Ngaol. However, he shares that the rice fields are still heavily reliant on rainwater, due to the distance between the farm and rivers, and struggle to grow and thrive. He has heard of some villages having success with solar pumping to their farms.

Issues and Ideas

• Community members can buy 20 litre bottlesof water for around 2,500 riel from a local NGO or collect water from nearby streams or wells. Nhroeun would like to see water tanks that could supply three or five households that are built in clusters across Pu Ngaol. What ideas can you come up with for resilient and sustainable water supplies for households in Pu Ngaol?

• Nhroeun shares that he is worried about earning enough money to support his son who has been studying at university in Phnom Penh for three years. In recent years students and orphans in Pu Ngaol have been supported by organisations distributing scholarships to attend school and materials like pens, books and bags once a year. What ideas can you come up with to support educational opportunities for people in Pu Ngaol?

• Nhroeun shares his experience when his family tried to access healthcare but did not have enough money. He shares that when community members do not have the money for treatment they are unlikely to receive it, and if they have access to an equity card to support costs, then it may be difficult to receive fast treatment. Can you come up with any solutions for inclusive and accessible health services in Pu Ngaol and the surrounding area?

Find out more from Nhean Nhroeun in their video interview, available here.