Cambodia

Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world, stretches along both banks of the Mekong river. The country’s violent past has hindered democratic development. The darkest period in Cambodia’s history was during the rule of the Khmer Rouge at the end of the 1970s.

The partner of FELM in Cambodia is an alliance of seven Christian development agencies called International Cooperation Cambodia (ICC).

FELM staff in Cambodia are engaged in:

• Literature and literacy
• Project development advisory services
• Information management

Community Support and Capacity Building

Children suffer the most from the effects of poverty and poor living conditions. Over half of the population of Cambodia are under the age of eighteen. For a variety of reasons, many of these children and young people do not have the opportunity to go to school.

FELM supports the Helping Orphanages by Support, Education and Advice (HOSEA) in the capital Phnom Penh. The project offers training, workshops and seminars to those who work with children. The project includes government and private sector institutions, as well as, local and international civil society organisations. Some of the work is done directly with children.

Another training and development project supported by FELM is Ratanakiri Integrated Development and Education (RIDE). The project is implemented in dozens of villages in Ratanakiri Province in North East Cambodia.

Ratanakiri Province borders Laos and Vietnam and is one of the least developed areas of the country. The majority of the 100,000 people who live in the Province belong to minority groups and do not speak Khmer, the language of the majority and the language of the education system. These minorities are also often illiterate in their own languages. An objective of the project is to strengthen the position and living conditions of these minority groups.

FELM also supports the education of children from disadvantaged families in five villages of Takeo and Kampong Province and around Phnom Penh. Improving access to education of pre-school age children is of particular focus. Awareness building of the importance of education and motivating parents to send their children to school is also carried out.

The Wholistic Development Organisation (WDO), a Christian organisation that has become a local Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) providing assistance to rural communities through Churches, is a recipient of FELM support. WDO trains community members to carry out needs assessments and to reach the development objectives and targets that they have set. The local projects include the establishment of livestock restocking services, micro credit for agriculture, hygiene education, establishment of sanitation facilities and income generating activities.

Creating Sustainability

FELM supports its partner ICC in strengthening its resources and further developing know how within its organisations. ICC staff receive training in financial and project management and leadership skills.