Lifeline for Mothers: Family Package Transforms Lives
Discover how Cambodia's Family Package offers crucial support to mothers like Rath Van, providing financial aid to meet the needs of their families in Preah Vihear.
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10 January 2025, PREAH VIHEAR, Cambodia — In the scorching afternoon sun, Rath Van crouches outside her wooden home, carefully boiling water in a dented pot—a daily task to ensure her newborn has clean water for formula. She wears an orange sarong with intricate floral patterns and a grey long-sleeved shirt, moving steadily through her routine.
Beside her, on a woven mat, her eight-day-old baby sleeps peacefully, bundled in soft blankets with a striped blue-and-white towel draped over the top for warmth. A small yellow knit cap covers the infant’s head, and she rests comfortably on a cushion under a simple semi-outdoor space. Nearby, Van’s four older children sit on a straw mat, occasionally glancing at their tiny sister.
The sun glimmers over the rice paddies beyond their yard, where a gentle breeze stirs the crops, adding movement to the stillness of the rural landscape. Beneath the stilted house, the children’s playful voices fill the open space. Above them, the family’s sleeping quarters provide shelter from the heat—a layout typical of rural Cambodian homes.
Since giving birth eight days ago, Rath discovered she couldn’t produce enough milk to breastfeed her daughter. Without another option, she had to rely on formula milk—a costly but essential necessity. Clean water is essential, so boiling it for the baby’s bottles has become a daily task.
In this remote part of Preah Vihear province, where poverty is a constant threat, even small needs can become overwhelming. But the Family Package programme, a government-funded initiative supported by UNICEF, provides poor families like Rath with crucial cash assistance.
“Without it, we wouldn’t survive,” Rath Van says. “It keeps us afloat.”
Rath’s household is one of 10,800 in Preah Vihear benefiting from the Family Package. Nationally, the programme supports 2.6 million people identified as living below the poverty line through Cambodia’s IDPoor system. Despite the country’s economic progress, the poverty rate remains at 17.8 per cent—down from over 50 per cent two decades ago but still high enough to leave many families on the edge of survival.
The cash support Rath receives doesn’t happen automatically. Instead, it’s part of a system that carefully selects and helps the people who need it most. Local officials, like Buo Sak, the second deputy chief of Sa’Aem commune in remote Preah Vihear province, help families like hers register for the programme. She knows the harsh realities families like Rath’s endure. “These families have very little,” Sak explains. “And this programme gives them a chance.”
UNICEF plays a key role in ensuring the Family Package runs smoothly. In support of Cambodia’s Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSVY), UNICEF provides technical assistance, including training local officials like Buo Sak to identify vulnerable families using a specialised software application. This support improves the registration process and strengthens monitoring systems to ensure cash transfers reach those who need them most. Funding from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the European Union (EU) enables the programme to effectively assist Cambodia’s poorest families.
The Family Package was designed to protect vulnerable households from the long-term impact of poverty. Aligned with national development goals and shaped by lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, it offers more than temporary relief. As part of Cambodia’s National Social Protection Policy Framework, the programme aims to build a stable future by addressing inequality and helping families escape poverty.
For Rath, the Family Package has been a lifeline for her family. During her pregnancy and after giving birth, she received $120 to help cover essential expenses. On top of that, she will get $20 for each doctor visit with her newborn, up to four visits. This support eases the financial burden, giving Rath some relief as she cares for her baby and family. Her family gets about $8.50 in support for all seven members, and each of her five children will receive $5 if they attend school.
“With the $35 I receive each month, I can put food on the table, send my children to school, and buy formula for the baby,” Rath says.
As the sun sets over Sa’Aem village, casting a golden light across the rice fields, Rath cradles her baby and watches her children perched on the wooden fence near their yard. “This help gives us hope,” she says. For Rath, the Family Package is more than just financial aid—it’s a promise of a future where her family can thrive.
