via CAAI News Media
Lucy Aitken-Read
February 3rd, 2010
We were gathered in a circle in a traditional and beautiful pagoda. There was corner to corner bunting, and I am a big fan of bunting. It was early, only 9am, but I was already sweating and the mozzies were humming around me, my cheapo Boots repellent only just warding them off. As the chief stood to give his presentation I noted a few of the distractions around me; two monks cloaked in orange going about their busy day at the back of the room, an army of farm animals braying, squawking and snorting below us and, just in front of me, two tiny kittens pouncing on the frayed edges of the mat we sat on. But as our interpreter worked his magic I was hooked. For this, the story of two projects that are transforming the small village of O Sway, north east Cambodia, was what I came for.
I am here with three others from Oxfam, England, on one of the annual Communications and Exposure tours held for employees. I came to find a deeper understanding of Oxfam and to make the connection between my work as a campaigner in London and the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. I have been here 5 full days* and have had many meetings with office based staff and NGO partners that Oxfam works with out here. Meeting with the country director and the Disaster Reduction team, amongst others, has been fascinating.* But it is here in the village that I come face to face with the people I came to meet.
Chief Khong and his villagers work on two projects that Oxfam support.* The first is honey processing; we got a demo of how they use a vat to distill the honey and then package it on to sell at a profit. It is a fairly new thing even to them but it they expect to receive a tidy sum. The second project focuses on turning bamboo into a more profitable product so villagers weave it into baskets and rice cookers to sell them on. These skills that used to be used just to make family life easier are now being utilised to allow families to generate sufficient income, and even put by savings.
These projects are tagged as “sustainable livelihoods” - instead of being involved in industry that has a short life span and is ultimately hard on the planet (such as logging) these villagers can thrive using the land they live on as a resource.
There are still hardships. Health care is immensely expensive, villagers explained that not only do you have to pay to access medical treatment but also for a hospital bed and medicine. One weaver went in for appendicitis last year and it set him back $50 - he has to sell 50 baskets that take 3 days each to make to cover that… almost half a years wages. They also have to contend with private companies who own the land around the patch they share. These ratbags move the boundary markers and harvest the villager’s timber in such illicit ways that it is hard for the village to get the protection the government offers.
We heard how twice a year representatives from Oxfam’s projects attend the annual governmental conference on land issues, giving them the chance to be heard by Cambodia’s most influential. Chief Khong spoke at one last year, advocating the needs of his own village, and the 5 surrounding it. It is vital that villagers get to exercise their right, not only to livelihoods and land, but to be heard.
After some quality discussion we sat down together for a marvelous feast. The food is here is culinary heaven (although we are all having serious bouts of Delhi belly!!) and to spend time eating with the villagers was a perfect way to finish our time there.
We have 9 more days of visiting villages around Cambodia before we head back to Phnom Penh and I am looking forward to every people-packed, beauty-bursting and justice-jammed moment.
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