Food Program For elderly in Cambodian villages

For many years, she lived with an abusive husband who caused her deep emotional and physical harm. As a result, she now struggles with her nervous system and overall health.
Eventually, her husband left, abandoning her in the house where she still lives today. On the second floor of the house, there is a small temple. On the ground floor, she lives with her daughter and her two-year-old granddaughter — three women, three generations, sharing one fragile space.
Her daughter, who also suffered from her father’s violence, continues to experience chronic headaches. Despite this, she works hard to find any kind of job in the village — washing dishes, cleaning, doing whatever she can to support her family.
The grandmother spends most of her days caring for her young granddaughter.
They have been left without any support.
We are helping them by providing food, as well as essential supplies for the child — diapers, milk, and small treats

In her youth, she suffered from a severe tumor that covered her neck and face. Her father spent years searching for a cure and eventually healed her with a plant from the forest.
By then, she was already 24 and considered too old to marry, so she has lived alone ever since, in her father’s home, rarely leaving it.
She is incredibly hardworking — sewing temple clothing, growing greens, drying fruits, and weaving mats entirely by hand.
She welcomes us with warmth and gratitude, always happy for the food and care we bring, treating us like family.

She is one of the few women in her village who completed both school and university. She speaks Khmer and French.
She raised four children — some have passed away, and one became a monk.
Despite being 85, she is incredibly lively and full of energy — talking to her feels like talking to a teenager.
We connected with her instantly. She warmly welcomes us every time we visit and always looks forward to our support.

She is one of those deeply affected by the Khmer Rouge regime. She survived extreme hunger and hardship.
Later, she gave birth to nearly ten children and raised them, though many have since passed away.
Today, she lives in a small old house with her disabled son, spending most of her time in a simple outdoor shelter.
Whenever conflict rises again, she becomes very anxious and cannot sleep, fearing the past might return.

Since her youth, she has helped bring hundreds of children into the world as a midwife, including during the Khmer Rouge period, when she worked tirelessly across her community.
Today, she lives with her husband and her deaf daughter.
She is deeply grateful for our visits and says we have become like family to her.

He has spent most of his life collecting and recycling discarded materials, earning a small income by selling what can be reused. He even built his home from things others threw away.
His house is filled with items he found value in — old bags, raincoats, tires, umbrellas, toys and clothes — each given a second life.
During our program, he met a woman who later became his wife, 20 years younger than him. They are still happily together.

She moved from Kampot to Siem Reap in search of a better life. There, another elderly woman gave her a place to stay — an old bamboo shelter.
Over time, it became unsafe, and with our support, a new home was built for her.
Despite serious physical injuries and constant pain, she never stops working. Every time we visit, she is always doing something.

She was once married, but her husband took a second wife and moved her into a small hut beside their home.
She spent most of her life there, in quiet isolation, while his new family lived separately. After her husband passed away, the main house remained occupied by his daughter from the second marriage, who does not communicate with her.
Now, she lives alone, struggling with back pain and deep loneliness.

She lives in an old hut, sharing the space with another elderly woman. Her legs are very weak, and she can barely walk.
Her daughter supports her when she can, but also cares for her own children, making life difficult for the whole family.
Like many households here, it is a home of women supporting one another. We included her in our program to help ease their daily burden.

She has almost completely lost her hearing. From morning to evening, she weaves small cups from leaves gathered in the forest.
The process is long and demanding, yet she earns only about $0.10 per cup, making just a few each day — not enough to survive.
Living alone, she relies on this hard work, so we included her in our program to provide essential support.

She lives alone and struggles with poor vision and developmental challenges, which make daily life difficult.
She often appears unkempt and wears whatever clothing she can find, as she is not always aware of her condition.
Without any support, she is extremely vulnerable, so we included her in our program to provide essential care.

She is the oldest among those we support. She is nearly blind, unable to walk, and lives with a tumor on the back of her head.
She lives with her handicapped granddaughter, who also faces her own challenges and struggles to care for her.
We support them monthly with food and essentials, helping make their lives a little easier.
They always welcome us with warmth and smiles, treating us like family.

He is the husband of Grandmother Nok. He can barely walk and suffers from serious health issues.
He survived several surgeries during the Khmer Rouge period and once served as a soldier. His body is covered in protective tattoos, believed to guard against harm and evil spirits.
He can no longer attend our gatherings, as he is unable to leave his shelter.
We continue to support him, and he now calls us family — even seeing me as his granddaughter.

She lives in a small alley with two other elderly women — one deaf and one unable to walk.
She earns a living weaving small leaf cups, selling them for about $0.10 each. Most of the time, she is out collecting and preparing leaves for the work they do together.
She has family nearby, but her son has developmental challenges, and her daughter — who has her own children — carries the responsibility of supporting the entire family.
We included her in our program to help ease the burden of their daily life.

We added her to our program in December after learning about her situation from a local vendor.
She lives alone and raises her two school-aged grandchildren, whose parents left for work and never returned.
She earns a small income washing dishes, but it is not enough to support the children.
They live in a very small hut with only one bed. We provide regular food support, as well as occasional treats and essentials for the children.

She is in her 50s and recently joined our program in February.
Her husband suffers from dementia and no longer recognizes her. When she returns home, he becomes aggressive, making it unsafe for her to stay.
As a result, she often moves from place to place, pften sleeping and eating outside.
We included her in our program to provide basic support during this difficult time.

He joined our program in January after a local shop worker told us about his situation.
He spent most of his life collecting recyclable materials, but now he can barely walk.
He lives with his daughter, her husband, and their three children. The family earns very little selling fruit, and they often struggle to afford enough food.
We included them in our program, and he is deeply grateful for the support.

We added her to our program in March after her friend, Grandmother Nok, asked us to help her.
She lives alone, and Nok had been supporting her with food whenever possible.
After spending time with her and seeing her living conditions, we decided to include her in our food program.

He has been with our program since the very beginning. Although later we found out he has children who care for him, we continue to visit him from time to time because he has become dear to us.
In the past, he was a soldier and later worked as a temple assistant.
Now he struggles to walk and rarely visits the temple. Sometimes we see him walking slowly with a stick.
He is always happy when we come to visit and bring small gifts.

He has been with our program since the very beginning. Although later we found out he has children who care for him, we continue to visit him from time to time because he has become dear to us.
In the past, he was a soldier and later worked as a temple assistant.
Now he struggles to walk and rarely visits the temple. Sometimes we see him walking slowly with a stick.
He is always happy when we come to visit and bring small gifts.

She was part of our program from July to December.
Later, we learned that her daughter was able to care for her and provide the support she needed.
With her family’s situation stable, we made the decision to support other elderly people in greater need.

She was part of our program from July to September.
Later, after a more detailed assessment, we learned that her situation was more stable than initially understood.
As a result, we redirected support to another elderly person in greater need. However, she continues to attend our dinners as a valued and welcome guest.

She was living alone in very poor conditions and was part of our program from July to October.
Later, her daughter returned from Thailand, began caring for her, and built her a new home.
With her situation improved, we offered to support another elderly person in greater need, and she kindly agreed.

She was part of our program from July to September.
After visiting her again, we learned that her daughter had returned from Thailand and was caring for her, even building her a new home. It became clear that her situation was more stable than we initially understood.
This experience highlighted gaps in the early assessment process, which we have since improved to better identify those most in need.
She is no longer part of the program, but continues to attend our dinners as a welcome guest.

Voeun lives alone in a tiny hut in Cambodia. She cannot remember her exact age anymore, but despite being very old, she still communicates warmly with everyone around her. She is known as a very organized woman — even with almost nothing, she keeps her small home spotless and clean. The first time I saw her, she was carefully sweeping and cleaning around her hut with quiet dignity.

She had three children, but sadly, they all passed away. A few years ago, her granddaughter lived with her, but after finding a boyfriend, she left and never returned. Since then, Voeun has survived mostly thanks to small amounts of food from neighbors. Often, she does not even have enough nutrition for herself.