When her husband left her some years ago, Phally was left with nothing but a child, aged two months. She was considered an unlucky lady in her village. She was poor and had no business.

"My living was really difficult because my husband left me and my child was still very small," she said.

But with advice from some villagers she borrowed 50,000 riel (US$12.5) from a microfinance institution. No one expected how much change this small amount of money could make to her life, but it worked.

With that small amount of money, Theam Phally started carrying 50 kilograms of rice on an old bicycle to sell at the market. She had to leave her child at home to travel 16 kilometres on a slippery and muddy road to sell the rice. She left home as early as 3:00 a.m. and she did this for more than two years.

Later, Phally was able to save up some money and she bought a motorbike. She has now been able to open a small shop at her house in Peam Reang commune, Loeuk Dek district in Kandal province.

"I was able to expand my business gradually until I was able to open a small stall in front of my house," said Theam Phally looking at her shelves packed with rice, vegetable, fish and meat.

At the national summit on microfinance where senior government officials, microfinance institutions and clients met to discuss ways to improve services, UNDP Resident Representative Douglas Gardner reminded participants that "microfinance impact lies in continued access to financial services, not just one-off loans".

"This broader and sustainable access is critical for the development of the microfinance client base," he said.

Phally is still a loyal client to her microfinance institution.