Soa Pov

Pov lives in the Kean Svay district of Kandal Province, a rural area approximately fifteen kilometers from Cambodia�s capital of Phnom Penh. She is married with two children. For years Pov has worked selling jasmine and bananas to her neighbors in the nearby market of Chba Ampov. She purchases these crops, the former which is an important traditional flower used in Buddhist ceremonies and the latter which is a popular fruit in Cambodian diet, from surrounding farmers. Her husband raises pigs and cows, also which he sells to the couple�s neighbors.

Pov and her husband Meng Leang wished to expand upon their small businesses into a more lucrative industry. As they live along a somewhat busy road, they decided that their location was an optimal spot for a motorbike cleaning station. Motorbikes are the most common form of transportation for most Cambodians and businesses which tend to the repair or maintenance of the �motors,� as they are called locally, makes up quite an important industry.

With a loan from MAXIMA, Pov and Meng were able to have the capital to purchase the materials required to start their motor cleaning service. Several months after they first opened, they are happy to share that business is doing very well and they earn approximately 40,000 Riels ($10 USD) a day for their work. This may not seem like much, but for a family which was formerly earning only half that amount, the profits have been tremendously helpful for their family.

With their additional income, Pov and Meng have been able to continue to support their other two businesses of selling jasmine and bananas as well as raising pigs. They say they can comfortably pay for daily expenses for their family, which is especially crucial in light of recent food price increases. They are also able to continue sending their children to school, which is exciting because Pov and her husband highly value education and hope their children will be able to someday attend college. Pov says she hopes her children will be able to obtain better jobs and enjoy a better life than she has. With hard work, it looks like her plans may work out well.