By Rebecca Tjoa | Communications
For Giving Tuesday on Nov 27, GlobalGiving has $150,000 of matching funds. Women and children in our program are counting on you. All donations will be available for GiftAid in the Uk, and tax deductibility in the US.
19% of girls in Cambodia are married before their 18th birthday, while 2% are married before their 15th birthday.
Parents in the province can earn as little as $130 for a family of 6. Worried about feeding everyone, they marry their daughters very young. The young woman is sent to her husband's home.
When Sreyneang* left her family to live with a young man she had never met, she was scared. She couldn't understand what she was meant to do. Soon after, she was pregnant. She told her husband. He got very angry: "we barely have enough to eat as it is, this is your fault."
That evening, she prepared the little rice they had for when he returned from work.
He never did.
She went to her parents for help.
"You have failed at your duty to be a good wife. We are full of shame. Do not come back"
That night, she didn't sleep. She fell the weight of the world on her shoulders. She contemplated ending her life.
The next day, she told one of her friend. They went to the village chief together. This village chief had already met with MHO's social workers before.
He contacted us.
Sreyneang is now in our pregnancy support program. Although she is experiencing a sense of loss, and grief, she knows she is not alone. Babies born from single women are more at risk of being trafficked, and will likely be exposed to malnutrition. By supporting MHO, you provide each baby in our Pregnancy Support Program with postnatal checkups by our in-house midwife, and every they need to grow up strong and healthy. You also support mom with positive parenting classes, so she knows she is bonding well with her child. You increase their chances of a better life.
So, next week, our mothers and babies are counting on you to make a life changing difference. Your gift will be matched by GlobalGiving, making it even more valuable to Sreyneang*, Bopha* and every women in our program.
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