Mich Malay Cambodia

Status: Paid Back
$1,200.00 Loan Request
$1,200.00 Paid Back

About the Entrepreneur Name: Mich Malay
Location: Kampong Cham, Cambodia
Activity: Farming
About the LoanLoan Amount: $1,200.00
Loan Use: To purchase a motorcycle for one of her children to operate a motor-taxi.
Repayment Term: 20 months - View details below
Lenders Repaid: Monthly
Currency Exchange Loss: N/A
Date Listed: Nov 29, 2007
Date Disbursed: Dec 14, 2007
Date Funded: Nov 30, 2007
Loan Ended: May 27, 2008

About the Field Partner
Field Partner: CREDIT, a partner of World Relief
Field Partner Risk Rating:
(Learn more)
Fundraising Status: Active
Time On Kiva: 39 months
Kiva Entrepreneurs: 4415
Total Loans: $3,310,500
Delinquency Rate: 0.00%
Default Rate: 0.00%
Currency Exchange Loss Rate: 0.00%
More on this field partner >>

About the CountryMap data ©2009 ZENRIN, Europa Technologies - Terms of Use1000 mi2000 kmCountry: Cambodia
Avg Annual Income: $2,600.00
Currency: United States Dollars (USD)

Mrs. Mich Malay, 54, is married and lives with her husband (who is pictured because Mrs. Mich Malay was unavailable) and five children in Kampong Cham province, Cambodia. She works with her husband on their rice paddy growing rice crops, earning collectively around $2/day. Three of her children work at a garment factory, earning together $150/month. Another one is unemployed and the other is a student. Mrs. Mich Malay hopes to use this loan to purchase a motor-bike for one of her children to operate a motor-taxi business. With the help of the loan, her family will have another source of income.

My crew of four had the chance of filming slices of life of the Cham Malays in Cambodia. The trip brought us to Phnom Penh and several Cham Malay villages in Kampong Cham and Kampong Chnang regions. There are currently more than half a million Cham Malays living in Cambodia. According to Oknha Sos Kamry, the mufti of Cambodia, the figure was about 700,000 before the Pol Pot regime came into power but was significantly reduced to less than 400,000 after the dark years. The Cham Malays were originally from Vietnam but had settled down in Cambodia for about 300 years. Incidentally, some Cham Malays have also settled in Malaysia, Acheh and the Hainan islands since then. They speak the Cham language which is now written in the Jawi script. About 40% of the words in the Cham language can be identified as Malay.

The Cham Malays are scattered in Cambodia with a considerable number living as fishermen along the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers. Our Cham Malay tour guide informed us that it is easy to spot a Cham Malay village along the two rivers which is marked by the village mosque and scores of perahus lining up the shore. Some of these villages are on the move as the fishermen frequently look for better fishing areas along the river.

Life is simple and hard for the Cham Malay fishermen, but once a year between November and January, the river brings joy to the fishermen. It is during these months that schools of fish from the Tonle Sap Lake in Vietnam come down south to the Mekong River. The fishermen would build rafts on the river along the flow of currents and haul up tons of fish in their 50m-70m long nets or pukat. One night’s catch could yield about to 10-15 tons of fish. Vietnamese and Khmer fishmongers would come to the rafts to buy fish wholesale before transporting them by boats to the markets along the river banks.

Many Cham Malay have moved and built villages inland. There are 24 regions in Cambodia of which 23 have a total of 420 Cham Malay villages. A concentration of about 200,000 Cham Malays in 140 villages can be found in the Kampong Cham region itself. Their habits and customs are typically Malay with focus on family and community values. Their source of living comes from agriculture namely padi and rubber. The mosque would be the centre of the activities among the villagers. A typical Cham Malay village would also have a school.

According to the mufti there are distinctly two groups of Cham Malays. The main group belongs to the Sunni sect of Islam. Another small group of about 5% of Cham Malays practices an esoteric version of Islam. They called themselves Kaum Zahid and claimed to be the original Cham Malays from Vietnam. They believe in Allah and the prophet but only pray once a week on Friday instead of five times a day. They fast for only three days in the month of Ramadan and perform the pilgrimage at a sacred hill in which it is believed that the remains of their founder were buried. The Kaum Zahid is concentrated in the villages at Kampong Chnang.

The Cham Malay are a respectable community in Cambodia. They enjoy religious freedom as the mainly Buddhist Khmer communities. They are fondly referred to as Khmer Muslims and are represented in the current government. The Council for Islamic Religious Affairs is located at the outskirts of Phnom Penh at Chrang Chomreh.
Posted by Isa Kamari at 6:43 PM