Thirty-two
years ago, the Khmer Rouge took over the Cambodian capital Phnom
Penh. The brutal regime destroyed much of the political, cultural
and social life of the country. Given the scale of the suffering,
the transformation and recovery in Cambodia that can be seen
today is a remarkable testimony to the resilience of its people.
Cambodia was not only ripped apart by Pol Pot's regime, it also
became one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
It’s estimated that every second settlement, or around
6,400 villages, is contaminated by land mines and explosive
remnants of war form the various conflicts that have raged through
the region. There are up to six million mines that still lay
undiscovered, and around 500 people are killed or maimed by
these silent, dormant killers each year.
The Cambodia Mine Victim Information System, a part of the Cambodian
Red Cross Society, the Cambodian Mine Action Centre and others
do a good job of raising public awareness of mines. Information
campaigns are such a success that 80 per cent of people know
about the dangers of mines. But in this case, information is
not enough. Poverty compels millions to risk life and limb to
clear land for farming, or collect scrap metal to sell and feed
their families.
Douen You is 56-years-old and lives with his family of seven
children in Veal Veng, western Cambodia. His plot of land is
too small to grow enough food to feed all his family, and is
also prone to drought and flooding.
"I worked five days per week with my two daughters to collect
resin, scrap metal and mushrooms in the forest,” he explains.
“I used to get 40,000 to 50,000 Riel (around $10 to $12
USD) a week, and I'd use the money to buy food and medicines
for my wife and my small kids at home."
Douen You has been selected by the Cambodian Red Cross to receive
a 12-month interest-free loan amounting to around 240 Swiss
francs (roughly $200 USD) to buy a water pump since his farm
is located close to the river so the machine will allow him
to draw water for planting peanuts, corn and others crops. With
this investment, he has already earned 400,000 Riel (around
$100 USD) a month over the past three months from selling his
produce. He hopes to repay the Red Cross 33 per cent of the
capital they lent him each month for the next three months.
The programme has been running since 2000, with the information
component being run by 500 Cambodian Red Cross volunteers, many
of them from the youth section.
“When it became apparent that people were going to run
the risk of death or injury because of mines, despite of the
education programmes, the Red Cross decided to add a new component,
microcredits, which have been funded by German Red Cross since
last year,” explains Karina Lehman, the programme coordinator
for the lending project. The funding also covers staff, training,
and education.
“The loans are offered to both the at-risk families and
to people who have been injured by mines and other explosive
remnants of war,” she adds.
Interest-free loans amounting to the equivalent of around $200
USD are offered to help people open a shop, by pigs or, as in
Douen You's case, purchase a water-pump to irrigate land. Best
of all, this programme is environmentally friendly – it
recycles money. Once loans are repaid, the money is freed up
for use by other families. So far, 80 families have benefited
and 50 more will join the programme before the end of June 2007.
Phireak Mom, the programme coordinator for the Cambodian Red
Cross, affirms the success of the programme.
"On the educational side we can see the dividends. The
number of people being killed or maimed is still unacceptably
high, but nonetheless it has been halved since 2005,”
he says. “And the loans we provide are being paid back
more rapidly than we had anticipated, proving that people can
quickly get their lives together if they are given a small bit
of encouragement and material incentive."
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Douen
You (far right) and his family receive a new water pump,
purchased with a loan from Cambodian Red Cross. Also pictured
(left) Van Heang, the local Red Cross branch director
of Pursat province, and the National Society’s development
officer, Tep Rom (second from left). (p15675)
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Deadly
legacy. Two explosive remnants of war, which are still
killing and maiming in Cambodia, 32 years after the capital
of Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge. (p15674)
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Cambodian
farmer, Douen You, has been given a new opportunity to
make a safe living thanks to an interest-free loan from
Cambodian Red Cross. (p15673)
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