The Family Partnership programme is at the heart of all of Tabitha's work and is best described as community development focused on families. Participation in the programme is a prerequisite for families or villages to participate in any of the other Tabitha programmes.
The majority of Cambodian families have virtually no possessions. Perhaps one old set of clothes per person, one drinking cup to share, and a thatch shelter. Despite this, most families generate a small weekly income, which may be earned by collecting and selling empty plastic bottles or cutting grass to sell to a farmer. However, it can be difficult for families to break out of this poverty cycle. The Tabitha Family Partnership programme provides a means to do this, working side by side with the community and families.
It is a very simple self-help programme with families committing to save a certain amount for a 10-week cycle. Prior to the start of the 10-week cycle, Tabitha staff members help the families to develop a vision of a better life and each family decides what they are saving for (their "dream"). "Dream" items can include the barest essentials, such as a towel, a blanket, a cooking pot, or a three-month supply of rice.
Each savings cycle lasts 10 weeks. The savings are collected weekly by Tabitha workers and returned with 10% at the end of the cycle.
Saving as little as 25 cents per week allows the purchase of life-transforming items. Families save for income producing items such as a fishing net, piglets, chickens, oxen, a watering can, or a bicycle to take produce to market. This, in turn, brings the family a stable food supply and regular income - sometimes for the first time - and allow for steadily increasing weekly savings.
Most families remain in the Family Partnership programme for about five to seven years, at which time they have usually attained food, income security and some form of health care, as well as put their children in school.
There are currently more than 60,856 families (486,848 dependants) in the Family Partnership programme in 15 project areas. During the next twelve months we expect to have 79,876 families with 639,008 dependants.
In the year ended 31 August 2012, our families saved an astonishing $2,680,461.98 through their weekly .25 cents savings. Amazingly these savings turned into 9 million dollars worth of purchases and units of changes for our families.
For example:
There were 102,670 changes in basic needs - needs such as at least two nutritious meals per day; basic needs such as pots and pans, blankets, mosquito nets, needs such as clothing.
31,805 families were able to improve their security through the improvement of their housing; through the building of latrines; through the gift of light by purchasing batteries.
13,799 families were able to buy some form of transportation while all of our families (64,330 units of income generation) were enabled to increase their incomes through small businesses, farming and animal husbandry.
This year, 11,382 families were able to start raising pigs, 14,896 families began raising chickens and ducks, and another 532 families started raising fish and frogs. The ingenuity of some of our families is amazing - we have some families that have even started raising crickets!
Over 200,000 families have "graduated" from the programme since inception. This year 2,900 families graduated from our programs. Graduations are difficult as families don't like to leave our programs. It takes an average of 5 years for families to move from absolute poverty to middle class rural Cambodian families. At the end of our relationship, families have attained their basic needs, they have 4-6 sources of income, they have access to water, electricity of some form, transportation and 4 out of their 5 school aged children in school. The families have traveled a hard road. Their determination, their change in how they see themselves, their pride in what they have achieved is wonderful to see.
For a donation of just SGD$25, one family can be supported for one year in Family Partnership. For questions or more information, please contact donations@tabithasingapore.com.
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