Promoting inclusion and self-sustainability for people with disability and their families in rural Cambodia

Project Code: CBPT-1200055

64,855

Landmine casualties from January 1979 to December 2019

60%

Of the population in the region works in farming

“Our job as servants of this mission is to reach out, encourage, empower, and support people with disability and their families in the best way possible.”

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Background

The Outreach Program has been in operation for around 20 years and has seen inspiring transformations for individuals, families and communities across northwest Cambodia. Outreach Team members visit people with disabilities and their families in remote areas and build trust and relationships to understand their needs and the needs of their communities. Help is always offered without any pressure, giving the people who benefit from the program full power whenever a decision needs to be taken.

The Program focuses on assisting and equipping families of people with disability to look after their loved one and support their needs. Without the Outreach Program these people would not have access to crucial resources and services, including wheelchairs and vocational training. For the last 20 years the Outreach Team has been working to make sure that people with disability and their families are not forgotten or left behind.

The barriers to employment faced by people with disability are compounded further by challenges in the Cambodian labour market, which sees on average 300,000 people enter it each year. With no minimum pay to ensure long-term security or without opportunities for employment in their home communities, many people migrate to cities or to neighbouring countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam. Only a small percentage of migrants use regulated channels, relying instead on social networks and other intermediaries without licenses. This leaves jobseekers extremely vulnerable to the violation of their human rights through human trafficking, exploitation and sexual abuse.

Thanks to the Outreach Program, three rural communities for more than 70 families have been established, each with improved living conditions, such as proper housing, clean water supply, sanitation hygiene devices and assistive devices, including wheelchairs. Over the last three years, the Program provided financial support to 183 families to improve their agriculture and farming techniques or develop new business, gave emergency or food support to over 780 families, and sponsored 24 students to attend vocational training courses. However, support is still needed for each community to become self-reliant and economically sustainable. One community, Prey Thom, generated almost US$4,000 through the production and sale of traditional Cambodian scarves (called kromas in Khmer). With your help, they can expand upon these promising early results, to achieve lasting independence.

Built in old battlefields cleared by demining organisations, the communities contribute valuably to regenerating and healing the land. Families from the region who were nomadic workers and did not have land were invited to receive a house, a hectare of land for agriculture and a pond for irrigation. They were also given 200kg of seed and training to build capabilities in poultry farming, vegetable gardening, cow feeding and rice planting. The Outreach Program currently supports more than 900 families in the area, performing periodic visits to the families and communities to ensure close follow-up on implementation and ongoing improvement of activities.

About the project

The overarching objective of this project is to support the continuation and expansion of the Outreach Program. Specifically, it seeks to develop communities for people with disabilities and their families, by providing them means to expand their socio-economic activities and improve their livelihoods. This project aims to enable people with disabilities and their family members to find decent jobs and reduce employment driven migration, thereby minimising the risk of human trafficking, while at the same time increasing resilience and economic independence.

Toy's Story

Sixteen year old Toy and his family are just one example of the incredible value of the Outreach Program. Toy (see bio on page 2) lost a leg in a landmine accident at ten years of age, forever changing his and his family's realities. With little money, medical costs and new support needs, the family found themselves in a very difficult situation. While Toy went to the Arrupe Centre to learn how to live with his disability and gain a strong education, his family were provided with a new home and income opportunities within one of the purpose-built Outreach communities, alongside other families with someone living with a disability. Toy's mother reflects on the impact, saying, "When we are here, my child can study, so I am very happy. My children are studying, and also here in the community, we get support because we are doing the same activities, so we all, together, we support each other. We are doing the same planting, the same harvest, so we feel support in the community." Now, thanks to the Outreach Program, Toy and his family have hope for a more secure future.

The four main communities on which this project focuses are Prey Thom, Rattanak Mondol, Outagnia, and Komreang (the former three being established by the Outreach Program). There is also some broader outreach activity to families located more remotely.

Project activities

Key project activities include:

• Vocational training in agriculture, kroma weaving and sewing;

• Capacity building for farmers, helping them to improve their crop raising and harvesting practices;

• Purchasing equipment and materials for rice farming, and livestock for farmers;

• Distributing wheelchairs;

• Setting up socially responsible tours of villages through social enterprises of Battambang Prefecture;

• Environmental impact and sustainability awareness raising activities, grounded in Laudato Si';

• Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) support for families of people with disability;

• Providing emergency and food support where needed for families of people with disability;

• Promoting employment, vocational training and scholarships to people with disability and their families;

• Providing connections to jobs and support in preparing for recruitment process;

• Raising awareness on the importance of including people with disability and challenging harmful stereotypes through community events, including local authorities and NGO partners.

Project Cost

This project will cost a total of $957,325 over three years. Key project costs include: