Overview:
The town of Poipet sits on the Cambodia/Thai border and is a popular gambling destination for Thai and Chinese tourists. This border town is also used as a strategic transit point for human trafficking. It presents many daily risk factors to the people of the Poipet community and surrounds. Poverty is rampant and many Cambodians cross into Thailand to seek employment. This 3-year project works in the villages around Poipet. It provides a jumping off point to connect with the community and offer business training and micro-loans to interested families that are struggling to survive. The aim is to assist families to set up small businesses, reducing their need to travel to Thailand for work, thereby protecting their children from trafficking by keeping them in school.The project also allows the opportunity to provide education about the risks of human trafficking and basic health information.
What we like about it:
This project is the second cycle of an initial 3-year project that delivered successful livelihood development projects. We like that the project focuses on establishing businesses, together with other critical problems through its education about trafficking and health. We appreciate the concern to provide income to families to enable them to stay together and to thrive in their own community.
Budget:
Year 2: $15,000, (Year 3: $15,500). Total for the 3-year project – $65,500.
The budget provides partial wages for staff to implement a training and micro-loans program for 40 families per year. Each family will be coached and encouraged over their loan repayment period.After the first year, repaid loans will provide the capital for loans for years 2 and 3.
The Need:
Poipet is a poor area of Cambodia with many risk factors. As a transit point between Thailand and Cambodia and a major gambling/prostitution destination, the exploitation of young girls in particular is rife. Unemployment is high and skill and education levels are low. Families often informally cross into Thailand for low-paid manual work, usually earning a meagre $2.50 per day. This deprives children of an education as the parents take them with them or it and exposes them to risk if they leave them behind. This project provides a way for people to empower themselves to break free from povertyand keep the family together.
Life Change:
