Tuy One is a 49-year-old woman who lives in Odong District. She lost her leg in a landmine accident in Kandal Province and the Cambodia Trust provides her with prosthetic limbs to aid her mobility. She is a widow with two daughters; they live on the edge of the public lake, using the resources at hand to survive. 
Tuy One asked the Cambodia Trust community team to help her to establish a small vegetable farm on the lake. Staff discussed various small business options with her and she determined that she could grow lily grass – an aquatic vegetable sold in the markets and used in traditional Khmer soups. Cambodian-style hydroponics are used to cultivate this fast-growing vegetable. We provided Tuy One with a small grant to enable her to buy enough plants to start her business. With the sale of her first harvest, she was able to purchase further plants and over the last 6 months has had a continual planting season.
Tuy One is one of the ‘poorest of the poor’. She has no land and lives in a hut made of palm leaves. Until now her only income has been from planting rice seedlings for 2000 riel (25p) a day. Her one desire is to generate enough income so that she and her daughters can be self-reliant. Now that she has her own small business, she is a step closer to achieving this dream.
