Religious Education and Social Justice

Project Compassion: 

Second Week of Lent 

During this second week of Lent we learn the story of a Cambodian woman named Phany who has been supported by a Caritas program.

Twenty-seven-year-old Phany, lives in a village in western Cambodia. Struggling to earn a living as a rice farmer, she was forced to leave her daughter behind in the village, to take up construction work in the city.

Then in 2016, Phany joined a Caritas supported program, learning more productive farming and irrigation techniques. Her community learned to work together for better water management, to combat drought. 

Over 70 percent of Cambodia's population live in rural communities – and the farming families living in poverty are the most food insecure. Thirteen percent of Cambodians live below the poverty line, while 35 out of every 1000 babies die due to malnutrition.

In 2016, Phany joined the Upholding Community Dignity Together program, where she learned new farming techniques, such as a drip irrigation system which enabled her to get a better yield from her vegetable crops and to conserve water for drier periods. She also learned how to grow vegetables and raise chickens and ducks. Phany’s community also took part in training in health, nutrition, hygiene and disaster preparedness, arming them with better strategies to cope with environmental changes. 

With your help, mothers like Phany can continue to uplift their communities and provide food for their families. A brighter future for women, men and their families can start today. Let’s Go Further, Together.

“I am proud that I was a farmer who had no skills and now I can earn and improve my living, share my knowledge and also improve solidarity in the family and amongst our neighbours,” Phany says. “I live better than before, I’m not as tired. I can earn and live in the village, I don’t need to go to city to find job.” 

Watch the story of Phany:

Let’s Go Further, Together! Please support the Project Compassion: lent.caritas.org.au

Caritas Prayer for Lent