<Outline of the Project>
Just as we were about to check on this year's harvest through online communication with local staff, we were informed that record-breaking heavy rains centered on the Thai-Cambodian border area in early October were followed by a typhoon that caused extensive damage in Siem Reap and Battambang Provinces. We received information that the provinces of Siem Reap and Battambang were severely damaged. A large amount of water flowed in from the Thai side, causing the rivers to quickly rise, and as many as 140,000 people were affected by flooding and loss of their homes. Due to climate change in recent years, the rainy season in Cambodia tends to arrive late and heavy rains tend to occur in the latter half of the year, affecting the rice harvest to no small extent.
The CEP members immediately held an emergency meeting to discuss the details of the damage and what was most needed in the area. The roads connecting the village to nearby villages were also flooded, making them impassable. In the village of Taguneng, houses were inundated by a second flood, and although no one was killed or injured, the houses and rice paddies were severely damaged.
Further interviews revealed that not 100% of the rice had been destroyed, but that 20-30% of the rice remained, and that it was possible to grow short-harvest rice in Taguneng Village after the water receded. However, there is no seed rice to grow the short-harvest rice and no funds to purchase it. In Prey Prey El village, it is not possible to grow short-harvest rice due to poor flood control conditions, but instead they can earn extra income by fishing or working as hired farmers on nearby corn and cassava farms. In any case, both villages were still in a very difficult situation. After further discussion, the members decided to provide $50 per family as emergency assistance to those in both villages who wish to receive it, in light of the current state of emergency and the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, if the funds were to be given as a donation, once spent, it would be the end of the project, and there would be no further development.
The villagers were invited to apply for the loan on the condition that they would use the funds for seed rice and for their current living expenses, and that they would repay the loan in time to repay the rice bank, after which a microsavings mutual aid system would be established using the funds as the source.
A strong partner emerged, and the project implementation made great progress.
Ms. Sida Phoeurk, a staff member of German International Cooperation (GIZ), a local Cambodian NGO that supports farmers and communities in Siem Reap Province, has been working for an international NGO since her days at UNTAC. She has been involved in vocational training and job creation for farmers in remote areas of Cambodia. Ms. Sida has been working for an international NGO since her days at UNTAC, providing vocational training and creating jobs for farmers in remote areas of Cambodia.
First, Mr. Sida will visit the site in person to further investigate the situation and needs on the ground, and to explain micro-savings (commonly known as saving groups in Cambodia) to the villagers.
Mr. Sida visited both villages for two days on November 7 and 8 and held meetings in each village.
Field Survey 1: Prey Priel Village
In addition to rice cultivation, the villagers are engaged in fishing, poultry farming, and duck farming during the rainy season, but they have never learned how to raise ducks. On the other hand, the cattle bank they run is doing well, with more members and one or two cows sold. The rice bank is well established in the village and has been affected by natural conditions such as drought and flooding over the past few years, but the operation is generally going well. All 32 member families have requested this financial assistance and intend to join the saving group after repayment of the loan.
Field Survey 2: Taguneng Village
Currently, 150 families are participating in the rice bank, but 8 families have not been able to repay their seed rice due to the poor harvest last year. Most of them grow short-harvest rice and also grow vegetables for the market due to the abundance of water. The leader re-confirmed their intention to join the saving group, as 20 of the 142 families did not attend the meeting.
Ms. Siddha explained that a trainer is needed to teach the villagers how to start a saving group so that they can manage and operate the group by themselves, and to monitor the group after its operation. The study tours were also proposed to be conducted so that the members of both villages could see successful examples and learn how to start their own businesses using the funds. In addition, since the spread of the new coronavirus was spreading to the rural areas of Cambodia at this time, masks and disinfectant were also provided as hygiene items.
<Implementation of the project>
Preypriel Village
Regarding poultry and duck farming, we found a villager in a neighboring village who has knowledge and skills in poultry farming and signed a contract with him to train him as a local trainer. The contract fee was about 30$, and we promised to ask him on our next visit.
On November 17, all 32 members received a flat sum of $50. Eight of the 32 members will use the money to raise cattle, and 22 members will use it to raise poultry. Also, many members wanted to buy insect repellents for the rice that was left over from the flood.
The saving group will start in April 2021 to coincide with the end of March next year, when the rice bank will be repaid.
A study tour to Siem Reap is scheduled for next January after the harvest is completed. Participants will be selected from young people who will be the future leaders of the village and who are willing to acquire knowledge to teach other villagers and start their own businesses.
Tangen Village
December 5, meetings were held with each group head of the Rice Bank Committee and funds were disbursed collectively to each group. A total of 139 members were given a flat amount of $50, with the following stipulation attached along with the IOUs.
1) The saving group will be invested and established by the Cambodia Empowerment Project (CEP).
2) All operations and management will be done by a committee elected by all members.
3) Anyone who wishes to borrow money must apply in writing, specifying the purpose and the term of the loan, to be reviewed by the committee.
4) We (CEP) do not profit from this project or demand repayment, but hope that it will be put to good use so that funds will circulate among the members and benefit the community.
5) This is to be used in case of emergencies such as family problems, illness, loss of harvest due to natural disasters, etc.
6) All members should cooperate with the committee and leaders and follow the rules to keep the operation running smoothly.
7)Trust and help each other to protect the assets of this community and hope that everyone's life will be enriched and developed.
Almost all of the funds will be used to purchase short-term harvest rice seed, and the repayment date is May 2021, after which the saving group will begin in June.
<Project summery and prospects>
However, the flooding disaster relief efforts led to unexpected progress, and as a result, we were able to take a big step forward toward our goal of establishing a microsaving mutual aid association, which was set last fiscal year. Thanks to Ms. Sida, who helped us to carry out this project, we learned that this type of saving group project has already taken root and succeeded in many places in Cambodia, and that there are trainers who provide the know-how and management methods. We learned that the project had already taken root and was successful in many places, and that there were trainers who could provide the know-how and management skills for the project.
We hope to be present at the launch of the project next June, if possible, and watch over the path of the new mutual aid association and the independent development of the community.
The number of people infected with the new coronavirus in Cambodia is overwhelmingly small compared to the rest of the world, and the recovery rate of those affected is high. However, the government's measures against infection are quite severe, with restrictions on movement across state lines and the closure of schools throughout the country. In Cambodia, where many factories are subcontracted to overseas companies, the decline in production orders has caused wages to drop and layoffs to continue, leading to an increase in unemployment and other economic hardships.
School closures that were once lifted have not yet been resumed, as the number of infected students increased and schools were closed again in November. In addition, flood damage from the typhoon that hit Cambodia in October is spreading, especially in the northeastern region, and there are concerns about the impoverishment of rural areas.
Although the situation is still unpredictable due to such factors, we would like to build a solid foundation for this mutual aid association and establish a system that will allow us to cooperate with each other to cope with various disasters that may occur repeatedly in the future due to recent climate change and to protect the livelihood of our village.
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