Pho's Magic Garden!

Pho lives in Kam Pong Lor, Krakor District, Pursat Province. Pho decided to join the women’s health healer training due to her own experience of how simple herb remedies can alleviate serious illness.

She suffered from a bleeding problem and had tried everything to treat the disease, visiting the far away health centre many times, which is a 1.5 hour walk or an expensive taxi drive, but to no avail.

Pho got increasingly ill and just as she was about to giving up all hope, she tried using a traditional herbal medicine costing just 50c which cured it. This therefore inspired her to expand her knowledge and become a healer so she could help other women suffering the same issues.

I enjoy being a healer and explaining to other women about health problems and being able to help them.

Pho attended the first phase of women’s health healer training in 2007.  She has a women’s health room in her home which is visited regularly by any villagers needing medical care, advice or support, often very late at night.

She also holds regular awareness raising sessions where she provides health education talking about nutrition, hygiene and women’s rights. 

Pho has also supported the training of two more women in nearby villages to become healers.

The healers are encouraged to keep a garden and share their herbs and vegetables with the women, so that these women are then inspired to plan their own garden, for their own family’s nutrition and which they could also sell to make some money. Something as simple as a vegetable garden and basic understanding of health, nutrition and women’s rights is considerably helping the community take better care of their health and avoid malnutrition.

Sophat, Pho’s neighbour, is one of many women to have benefited from Pho’s garden. Read her story here: