In Cambodia, there are over 70,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and because of their illness many face discrimination and daily challenges around accessing housing and basic services.

Habitat for Humanity Australia's New Start, New Life project seeks to improve the living conditions of vulnerable families in Cambodia by providing secure land and housing as well as access to clean water, sanitation and livelihood training. Seventy-eight vulnerable families including persons living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS, the elderly and child-headed households, are provided access to safe and decent homes. A further 120 households are supported to gain improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene and livelihood opportunities.

Visal and his wife Nat, both HIV-positive, have experienced these struggles for many years. Visal works as a tuk tuk driver where he earns about $250AUD a month. They struggled to pay the rent for the small room where they stayed and had to move into Nat's sister's home. With a dream to build their own home, Visal and Nat borrowed money from the bank to buy a small plot of land next to Nat's sister's home. But with no savings left, they were unable to afford the necessary building materials.

Visal and Nat were pleased to be selected as one of the families under the New Start, New Life project. "Habitat has made our dream come true. We have nothing to give back but we just put our palms together and thank the volunteers deeply for coming over just to build a house for us."

Habitat for Humanity Australia is supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.