Meet 14 year old Phalla. She dreams of studying finance at university but often has to miss class to help her mother earn an income for their family.

When her mother Thyda is forced to travel to buy new items for her stall, Phalla must stay behind to mind the shop and ensure the family receives the income they so desperately need.

This can mean that she misses out on the lessons that are crucial to her success in gaining entry to university. Phalla’s younger sister Rachana also has a dream to attend university to become a teacher but faces similar challenges.

Phalla’s mother spends long hours working as a grocery seller at her roadside stall and has to travel long distances to purchase new products from the markets. She also has a heart condition but often sacrifices the money for her medication in favour of providing an education for Phalla and her sisters.

Phalla, her parents and her two sisters are just one of the 179 families in Ponhear Leang village, Cambodia. Like most families here, they share one room, have no bathroom, no toilet and no access to fresh water. Phalla’s father is a rice farmer but the family’s meagre income frequently prohibits him from buying the fertiliser and equipment that would help his crops to flourish.

HOW YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION CAN HELP

By making a tax deductible donation to CUFA before June 30 you will be helping to empower not only families like Phalla’s, but whole communities in countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor-Leste. Your gift can help parents like Thyda and her husband to improve their circumstances and enable children like Phalla and Rachana to realise their dreams.

Your tax deductible donation can empower families like Phalla’s by:

• Helping to develop and grow local grassroots savings banks, making them more able to assist families through financial education and the provision of loans. Partnered with financial education and support, this access to small loans can help families to start or expand a micro-business and generate enough profit to ensure their entire family has better access to education, healthcare and nutritious food.
• Supporting CUFA’s Children’s Financial Literacy program that is empowering the younger generation to build  a brighter future, free from poverty. By teaching young children the importance of saving and managing their money, we are helping to lay the foundations that will empower disadvantaged children to break the poverty cycle.

MAKE YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION BEFORE JUNE 30