INTEGRATED RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Phnom Kravanh (Cardamom Mountain) is one of six districts in Cambodia’s Pursat province where poverty, lack of access to education, poor health and food insecurity are systematically interrelated.  An insufficient diet contributes to widespread health problems among the poor majority, and the cost of poor health pushes many rural households further into poverty. Many of Phnom Kravahn’s children suffer from malnutrition, and struggle to study and attend school. 

In 2009, Lotus Outreach began coordinating with the Cambodian Organization for Children and Development (COCD) to simultaneously address these intersecting challenges. The Integrated Rural Development (IRD) program works to alleviate poverty and its tragic consequences for 5,167 marginalized villagers living in four villages of Phnom Kravanh’s Samroung commune by offering relief in three crucial areas: primary healthcare, access to education, and food security/income generation.

Recognizing that a collapse in any of these elements undermines progress in the others, IRD seeks to shore up potential pitfalls to create a resilient scenario for sustainable development.  From day one, the program is rolled out from the ground up – local people are recruited and trained to administer each component.  Village health volunteers educate their communities on basic sanitation and preventative healthcare practices in exchange for a small monthly food stipend.  Education working groups monitor the scholarship program, and self-help groups administer individual microloans to support village development plans.

By placing ownership of the three mutually supportive branches in the hands of their beneficiaries, Lotus Outreach and COCD are nurturing the confidence and autonomy that sustainable change is made of.

Partner: Cambodian Organization for Children and Development (COCD)

Supported by: Buddhist Global Relief, Ronald McDonald House Charities