MUIDS Social Studies: Economics

Cambodia Rural Poverty Simulation

Directions: As part of our unit on Microeconomics, you will learn about
budgeting, choice, opportunity cost and trade-offs by participating in a
simulation as a family in rural Cambodia. Much like in real-life, your ability
to lead a successful family will depend on a combination of good decision
making and luck. Throughout the simulation, you will have to deal with
real-life problems that rural people in developing countries must face
daily. In Part 1 you will create the characters in your family and design
their personalities. You will make choices about what investments to
make in the family members including education, health-care, food,
housing and access to clean drinking water. In Part II you will lead your
family through a 6-month simulation. When problems happen, you will
have to make decisions which will affect the members of your family and
cause you to make difficult choices. You will also keep track of an ongoing
budget with income, expenses and savings. In Part III you will reflect on
the successes, failures and challenges you faced throughout the
simulation.

Your Family Number: 2

Your Familys Province: Kratie
Family Housing Choice: Corrugated Metal

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Characters:
________________________________________________________________

You will have between 6 and 9 characters.

List their type (ex. Mother, grandmother, male child 14-18, etc) on
the lines below.
Once you have made the list, you must change the order to the
following: Male (oldest youngest); Female (oldest youngest) and
number your list.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Character:
Character:
Character:
Character:
Character:
Character:

Grandfather
Male Child 18
Male Child 17 (Cake Pria)
Male Child 17 (Dung Pria)
Grandmother
Mother

Character Summaries:
___________________________________________________________________________

Character Summaries should include name, age, personality and

interests.
Families with less characters should have more in-depth
descriptions.
As you make decisions throughout, try to imagine as if these people
are your real family. In Part III, you will have to explain your
decisions and how you believe they helped improve the
overall well-being of your family.
Your summary should also include:
o Does the character attend school?
o Is the character going to be working abroad?
o How many days per week does the character work?
o What kind of food and water do they consume?
o Do they have access to health check-ups and sanitary
products?
You will make these decisions in the beginning and they will apply to
month 1.

MUIDS Social Studies: Economics

All of the information in this sheet must match your budget

sheet!
There is an optional 5-point bonus for any group that creates a
family picture.

Chracters
Mother

Name
Somsri Pria

Age
45

Grandfather

Min Pria

83

Grandmother
Male Child (14-18)

Kanom Pria
Cake Pria

76
17

Male Child (14-18)

Dung Pria

17

Male Child (14-18)

Fard Pria

18

Mother Her name is Somsri Pria. She is 45 years old. She interested in
sewing, because of her mother. She like to make scarves. She is very
smart and talented in sewing, because she learned to sew since she was
10 form her mom. She married with Polar Pria and had 3 sons. But now
she is very depressing, because her husband just died before month
one. Like her mother, her dream is to start her own sewing factory.
Grandfather His name is Min Pria. He is 83 years old. He interested in
crafting. He like to build stuff from scarp. He is always happy and like to
teach his grandsons about crafting. He married with Kanom Pria and had
one daughter which is Somsri Pria.
Grandmother Her name is Kanom Pria. She is 76 years old. She is
Somsris mother. She is very neat and like to clean the house. She
specially like sewing and she is good at it. She married with Min Pria. She
loves her husband because he always makes her smile. She really love her
daughter so she teach her about sewing. Her dream is to start a sewing
factory.
Male Child 17 His name is Cake Pria. He is 17 years old. He is
interested in crafting like his grandfather. He is a good man and love
helping people. He is Somsris son. He and his brother (Dung Pria) are
twins.

MUIDS Social Studies: Economics

Male Child 17 His name is Dung Pria. He is 17 years old. He is

interested in card games. He like to play poker and drink alcohol. He like
to waste familys money in betting ,but his work wages help his family a
lot. He is Somsris son. He and his brother (Cake Pria) are twins. He always
have an argument with his brother (Fard Pria). He is going to work abroad.
Male Child 18 His name is Fard Pria. He is 18 years old. He is interested
in working. He like to work, because he dont want his family to be in
trouble. He is very diligent and smart.
He is Somsris son. He is the oldest brother. He dont like Dung Pria,
because he always waste familys money. He is going to work abroad.
Summary They didnt attend school. Dung and Fart are working aboard
and they work 7 days per week. Mother, Grandmother, Grandfather and
Male child 17(Cake) work 6 days/week. They eat only rice and clean water.
They all get health check-up and sanitary products.
Monthly Diary:
___________________________________________________________________________
In this section you need to keep track of the following:

All major events (positive and negative) that happen to your family.
You also need to keep track of how the event affects your
characters income, costs and health.
Any choices that you make and how the choice affects your
characters income, costs and health.
All choices must include an explanation which shows that you
understand the trade-offs.
It is essential that you keep good, detailed notes.

Month 1:
In this first month, we sent Dung Pria (Male 17) and Fard Pria (Male
18) to work aboard to Thailand. Somsri Pria (Mother), Min Pria
(grandfather), Min Pria (grandfather) and Cake Pria (Male 17) will work 6
days per week. Our shelter is corrugated metal and the cost is 8 dollars
per person. the total cost of shelter is 32 dollars. We gave firewood to all
four people, the total cost is 11.2 dollars. We gave everyone to eat only
rice, because we dont know how many monies we will save. The total
cost of the food is 37.8 dollars. We gave them all clean water and that
cost 22.4 dollars. We gave every person medical checkup and the total
cost is 20 dollars. We provide them all sanitary products and that cost 12
dollars in total. The total income of our family is 206.4 dollars. The tax
cost 10.25 dollars. The bribes cost 5.28 dollars. The total expense is

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151.24 dollars. In this month we save 55.16 dollars, which most of the
saving is from 2 people who went aboard. The final health percent is in an
average of 30 percent.

Month 2:
In this month, grandfather is sick. We got a food aid. There are 4
productive member total of 6 members, so we got 30% decrease in food
cost. We have to play 5 dollars to emergency because our grandfather is
sick. Everyone in the family eat only rice except grandfather. The total
cost of the food is 31.36 dollars. Grandfather eat more because we dont
want him to be sick next month. Our shelter this month is corrugated
metal and the cost is 8 dollars per person. the total cost of shelter is 32
dollars We give them all firewood, clean water, medical check-up and
sanitary products just like last month. Everyone in the family work days is
the same and we still sent Dung and Fard to work in Thailand. The tax cost
9.6 dollars. The bribes cost 4.8 dollars. The total expense is 143.36
dollars. The total income is 196.8 dollars. This month we save 53.44
dollars. The total saving is 108.6 dollars. The food aid helped us a little bit,
but the cost of grandfather is higher because he ate better. His income
dropped down by 60%, because he is sick. The final health percent is in an
average of 33 percent.
Month 3:
In this month, we got a free clinic aid. All medical checkup become
free and cost of sanitary products reduce to 1 dollar per person. It is good
that medical checkup become free and cost of sanitary products reduce to
1 dollar per person, because the total cost of those two was 32 dollars,
but this month we have to pay only 4 dollars. This aid helped us to save
28 dollars and that help us a lot. Grandfather eating habits change back to
eat only rice, because this month we dont get the food discount and the
meats and vegetables is too expensive. The total cost of food in this
month is 37.8 dollars. We give them all firewood, clean water, medical
check-up and sanitary products just like last month. Everyone in the family
work days is the same and we still sent Dung and Fard to work in Thailand.
The tax cost 10.56 dollars. The bribes cost 5.28 dollars. We get less total
expenses from 143.36 dollars to 123.24 dollars, and get more saving. This
month we save 83.16 dollars. Now total saving of three months are 191.76
dollars. The final health percent is in an average of 30 percent.
Month 4:
In this month, nobody sick in my family. Government give our family
(Mother) a loan of money to start a business. She followed her dreams by

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used the money to invest in her own sewing factory called Prias Scarf.
This business increased 100% in her income. Her income increased from
28.8 to 57.6 dollars. We have some major changes that is our shelter is
change from corrugated metal to concrete and we change the food from
only rice to rice with vegetables and meats. The total cost of shelter
change from 32 dollars per month to 100 dollars. The total cost of food
change from 37.8 dollars to 65.8 dollars. We change the shelter and food
because we want to increase the health percent in our family so that the
next month nobody will get sick. We give them all firewood, clean water,
medical check-up and sanitary products just like last month. Everyone in
the family work days is the same and we still sent Dung and Fard to work
in Thailand. The tax cost 13.44 dollars. The bribes cost 6.72 dollars. We
get total expenses that is 251.56 dollars. This month we dont save any
but, we loss 16.36 dollars. Now total saving of four months are 175.4
dollars. The final health percent is in an average of 80 percent.
Month 5:
In this month, Mother get a serious accident. She got bite by some
stray dog. The wound is very big and she need some time to recover. She
cannot work in this month so, her income loss 100% in this month and she
will loss 60% in the next month. We choose to transfer the loan to
grandmother to take over the sewing factory for a while. Mother cannot
work in this month so, her income this month 0 dollars. Grandmother get
100% income from the business so, her income increases from 19.2 to
38.4 dollars. The shelter and food cost are still the same. We give them
all firewood, clean water, medical check-up and sanitary products just like
last month. Everyone in the family work days is the same except mother
who doesnt work and we still sent Dung and Fard to work in Thailand. The
tax cost 9.6 dollars. The bribes cost 4.8 dollars. We get total expenses that
is 245.8 dollars. This month we dont save any but, we loss 49 dollars.
Now total saving of five months are 126.4 dollars. The final health percent
is in an average of 74 percent.
Month 6:
In this month, nobody got sick. Mothers wound is better now and she
can work but, her cannot work very effective. Her income will loss 60% in
this month. Grandmother still working on the business so, her income is
the same as last month which is 38.4 dollars. Mother will work 6 days per
week in this month and her income in this month will be 11.52 dollars
after loss 60 percent income. This month we choose to send Cake Pria
(Male 17) to school for his education. The cost of the education is 8 dollars
per month. He will not work in this month. The shelter and food cost are
still the same. We give them all firewood, clean water, medical check-up
and sanitary products just like last month. Everyone in the family work

MUIDS Social Studies: Economics

days is the same except Cake which doesnt work and we still sent Dung
and Fard to work in Thailand. The tax cost 5.088 dollars. The bribes cost
2.544 dollars. The total expense is 247.032 dollars. The total income is
174.72 dollars. This month we dont save any but, we loss 72.312 dollars.
Now total saving of six months are 54.088 dollars. The final health percent
is still in an average of 80 percent.

Reflection
Month 1 We want to give the familys health percent as high as
possible. We give everyone clean water and medical checkup. The
tradeoff is this will increase the health percent, but it will cost some
money. We will try to live in the normal shelter and eat the cheapest food,
so we can know that how many we will save. In this month we have a big
problem that everyone that live in Cambodia cant make any saving. So
we have to send Dung and Fard to work abroad. Because we will dont
have enough saving, if they dont go.
Month 2 This month we got a food aid that will decrease the cost of
the food. This event helped our family to save a little more money. Our
grandfather is sick and that decrease a lot of his income money. We try to
increase his food from only rice to rice, veg. & meat to see how many it
will increase his health percent. The saving in this month wasnt bad.
Month 3 This month we got a free clinic aid that will give us free
medical checkup and decrease the price of sanitary products. This aid
helped us to save more money. We change the grandfathers food back to
only rice because this month we dont get the food discount. The saving in
this month was great.
Month 4 This month we got a loan and we gave to mother instead of
grandmother, because mother have more income than grandmother.
Mother will start a business and this business increase her income a lot.
We have some major changes that is our shelter is change from
corrugated metal to concrete and we change the food from only rice to
rice with vegetables and meats. We choose to change, because we want
everyone to have high health percent. The tradeoff is everyone have less
chances to get sick, but the cost that we have to pay is very expensive
that this month we loss some of the total saving.
Month 5 This month mother got a serious accident so, she cannot
go to work this month and this cause our family to lost a lot of saving. Our
grandmother will take over the business for a while because, we dont
have other female character. Grandmothers income helped our family a
little but, we still loss a lot this month.

MUIDS Social Studies: Economics

Month 6 - Mother feel better in this month, so I send her to work to get
more income, but she got money less than normal. Grandmother still got
loan. We choose to send Cake (Male 17) to school and dont go to work.
The tradeoff of this decision is he will get more education, but we will loss
more income than before. We still lost a lot of income in this month.
Long term plan We want the mother business to be a main income
for our family, but it almost impossible because, the cost of food and
shelter are too high. If we continue to live like this, we will dont have
enough saving left. We plan to change food and shelter to the lower cost.