Poverty - the reason why we all do what we do, and why we need your help…
Here is the really serious stuff; the reasons why so many people, both local and foreigners, devote their lives to doing what they can to improve things for the people of Cambodia... Cambodia is a land of stark contrasts. It has stunning natural beauty, the awe-inspiring temples and monuments of a great civilisation, unique ecosystems, and has made considerable progress from the dark days of the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970’s. Nevertheless, in common with many developing countries, the benefits from this progress are not evenly spread. It is still one of the world’s poorest nations and grinding poverty is a fact of life for many people. In Siem Reap province over one third of the population live below the official poverty line, existing on less than 45 cents per day. It’s difficult for figures to convey the consequences of this but maybe a few examples can… Poverty and Water ConCERT projects provide and maintain water filters and dig wells. Access to clean water transforms communities, enabling them to grow crops, avoid diseases, and generally improve a community’s ability to take care of itself.
Completion of the secondary school certificate, and increasingly, being able to speak, read, and write English, are important prerequisites for getting a decent job. Without basic literacy and numeric skills it is difficult to get any job. A lack of education locks many people into a perpetual poverty cycle: no education means no job; no job means no money; no money means no education… ConCERT’s member schools and training centres work to break this cycle
A ConCERT volunteer was invited to the home village of a Cambodian friend who works in Siem Reap. (Many young people from the surrounding rural areas have moved to Siem Reap to find work in the hotels, restaurants and bars. They work long hours, often 7 days a week, and typically earn $50 to $150 per month, most of which is sent back to support their families). His village is only an hour from the town but it is 200 years away in a different world that tourists seldom see. The villagers are subsistence rice farmers; many of them are unable to grow enough rice to last all year. When the rice runs out they have to forage in the forests and fields for whatever they can find. When they arrived at his friend’s house there was a young boy, maybe 8 years old, lying on the floor and moaning in agony. No one paid him much attention but after a while the volunteer could stand it no longer and went over to him. His arm was swollen to double the normal size and turning black. When he asked what had happened and why no one was doing anything about it he was told, “What can we do? We have no money to take him to the hospital; if we had money for the treatment we cannot get there; if we could get there his mother would have to go with him and she has to work all day in the rice field and look after the other children in the family. He is sick and he will either get better or he won’t…” Several of ConCERT’s members provide healthcare services to disadvantaged groups of people Poverty and Landmines ConCERT has members involved in de-mining.
Rice is Cambodia’s major crop and its staple food. There has traditionally been just one rice crop per year because Cambodia lacks the extensive irrigation systems needed for double-cropping. In addition, without irrigation systems, the amount of rainfall determines the size and quality of the crop that is produced, with the potential for large variations from year to year. Another problem, as mentioned above, is that land mines have restricted the amount of land available for cultivation. Many subsistence farmers who grow rice to feed themselves and their families lack the skills and knowledge to change what they do, and many don’t have the luxury of being able to experiment with alternative crops and methods as failure could well lead to severe food shortages for the family. Several of ConCERT’s member projects are working on agriculture projects (including: trialling new methods and crops, promoting and supporting sustainable practices that protect the environment and improve yields, or helping to re-introduce traditional techniques that are in danger of being lost or forgotten) Poverty, Human Trafficking and Child Sex Abuse Human trafficking, including child sex abuse, is inextricably linked to poverty. Human trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of forced labour or commercial sexual exploitation. Put simply it is 21st century slavery and is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. It is now the second largest after the drug-trade and is equal in size to the illegal arms industry. (The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that at any one time there are some 2.5 million people who have been trafficked and are being forced through violence, threats and a complete lack of power, to work for someone else’s financial gain.) Cambodia continues to recover from the total destruction of social, health, education and economic structures as a result of the Khmer Rouge era and years of civil war. Extreme poverty and an infrastructure that’s still weak create an ideal environment for the abuse of human rights. Trafficking victims are largely from the world’s poorest countries and readily believe the traffickers’ promises of a job that will provide a better quality of life. Indeed, many people are acquainted with the person who recruits them on behalf of the trafficker: a friend of the family; a cousin; the friendly woman who buys fruit every week from their parents’ market stall. Once at their destination, (which may be child labour, prostitution, or work in more mainstream industries such as bars, restaurants or domestic service), people’s freedoms are restricted by varying degrees. These include complete incarceration, or actions such as the confiscation of passports, and being told that they owe money for transportation, or food, clothing and accommodation, which they can never repay. People are also often moved illegally across borders and believe, rightly or wrongly, that they would face problems if they went to the authorities. One of the most extreme and distressing results of abject poverty is when desperate parents are forced to sell their children. With no state support, if parents are unable to work through illness or disability and there’s no supporting community, the choices available to people facing starvation are very limited and the unthinkable does happen. Although small in percentage terms, it is surprisingly common and children then face severe danger and risks. Families will sell their own daughters for a sum that will see them through the year, often believing that the girls are going to get a job or an education. Virgins command a higher price as many men believe that sex with a virgin will cure AIDS. To ensure a girl’s virginity, girls as young as 5 or 6 years old are bought and then raped. Girls who try to escape and are recaptured by their owners receive punishments that will almost certainly stop them considering making a run for it again. To make matters even worse, once a girl has worked as a prostitute, even if she was forced into it against her wishes, the family and village often reject her for bringing shame on the community. She may well be at risk of being sold again should she ever escape and try to return home. Many are unable ever to go back to their families. Child sex abuse
In addition to the steps that childcare projects take to protect their children from offenders, volunteers should be aware of the potential problems and play their part by being vigilant and reporting anything that concerns them, both at their placement project and in the wider community. ConCERT has member projects that help people in these situations
Against the backdrop of these issues, acts of determination, bravery, vision and dedication happen every day. Large numbers of people, both local and foreign, are trying hard to improve lives, often in difficult conditions and for little financial reward.
Many people who visit Cambodia are moved by what they see and by the way Cambodian people are dealing with their challenges.
To offer direct support for the work that ConCERT does, you can donate online via TravelPledge.
|
Poverty and Education
Poverty and Healthcare
Poverty and Agriculture
