Faye and Ben
provided 20 women with safe family planning!
Faye and Ben raised $1,307!
This paid for:
A 3-year birth control programme for 20 women
Education about birth control and family planning from a social worker for 20 women
Faye and Ben's Motivation
Hi! Faye and Ben here! We were inspired by Sim Srey Lin's brave efforts to keep her family together and wanted to help her and others gain access to birth control! Something we take for granted could have such a big difference to so many lives.
To raise money, we organised a sponsored walk of Singapore's Southern Ridges..
Thanks for the support!! Faye and Ben xx
Faye and Ben's Feedback
Sim Srey Lin with one of her children
"Sim Srey Lin, 31 year old mother of six, has now received contraception. This will protect her from further unwanted pregnancies and from the risks posed by back-street abortions. Sim Srey Lin was fortunate to survive two of these amateur procedures. Family planning has really helped her mentality- without the worry of another pregnancy, Sim Srey Lin is happier in her marriage and is thinking about the future when the twins are old enough to discontinue breast feeding. Then Sim Srey Lin says, she would like to start a small business to support her family. Thank you so much Faye and Ben for giving this family the opportunity to now plan for the future and work their way out of poverty through education and social services provided by Feeding Dreams."
- Family Planning nurse, Siem Reap, Cambodia
Sim Srey Lin's Story
Aged 31, Cambodia
Sim Srey Lin was brought up in Kanda, one of the poorest provinces in Cambodia. Being the eldest of seven she was pulled out of Grade 1 and forced to work to support her parents and her six younger siblings. Two months ago, Sim Srey Lin gave birth to twins, making her a proud mother of six. Her husband, Vat Sophea, is currently a fruit stall vendor who provides a daily household income of just $8 - on a good day. Some days he comes home with $2 or less. This unstable income provides for his six children, his wife, and his mother, who all live under the same tiny roof, in appalling conditions.
Sim Srey Lin and her husband are struggling to keep their precious family together. They are reluctantly considering sending some of their children to an orphanage for a few years so they can at least get fed. On top of this, they are worried that they may fall pregnant again. They can simply not afford to have any more children, and one more pregnancy could result in a total breakdown of the family. Sim Srey Lin has already had two backstreet abortions due to no financial support for family planning. In fact, she is very fortunate to have survived, as many young women die during these unsafe procedures. If Sim Srey Lin falls pregnant again, she would likely have no choice but to borrow money and get another backstreet abortion.
Women living in rural areas in Cambodia face ongoing birth control problems due to lack of access to family planning and insufficient financial support from the government. The average family size in rural Cambodia is four to six people, which is more than the majority of families are able to sustain on their extremely low household incomes. Having more children when resources are already stretched to the maximum, increases the likelihood of families having to give their children up to institutions. In the worst case scenarios, children left in over-capacitated institutions can end up becoming victims of slavery or human trafficking.
Sim Srey Lin is desperate to obtain safe and reliable birth control so she can be free to look after her six precious children. For just $43, Sim Srey Lin can receive safe and effective birth control for three years. She will also receive family planning education and counselling from a trained social worker who is also in her final year of law school, specialising in Cambodian family law which is critical for many of the young mothers in the slum area.