Projects

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Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods

Tackling poverty in Cambodia means working with the rural poor, initially where livelihood assets are being fundamentally affected by unfavorable trends. Such trends are obvious in the Tonle Sap region

• Human capital has been seriously affected by the extermination of a generation of leaders, levels of health and education are low, and women shoulder heavy responsibilities as a consequence of male deaths during the protracted civil war and genocide
• Social capital has been severely diminished by the war and democratic processes have only recently been introduced
• Natural capital, especially forests and fish, is under growing human exploitation
• Physical capital is inadequate and there are few rural amenities
• Access to financial capital is restricted: most loans are taken from relatives or neighbors and moneylenders charge interest rates of up to 100% per month

The structures and processes that impact these assets are institutions, policies, legislation, culture, and power relations. They determine access, terms of exchange, and returns; shape the livelihood strategies of the poor; and govern their outcomes.

It is necessary to enhance and develop the asset base of the rural poor. Without improvements, investments in the Tonle Sap region will become progressively less productive.

The Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Project will support community-driven development to deliver demand-driven services more equitably, efficiently, and effectively; safeguard the core areas to protect their functions, products, and attributes; and build skills and awareness for sustainable livelihoods to strengthen institutions and processes at all levels.

The Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Project is financed by means of

• $15.0 million equivalent ADB grant from the Asian Development Fund
• $4.7 million grant from the Government of Finland

An additional $600,000 equivalent in local currency will be provided by the Government of Cambodia.

View Map - Tonle Sap Sustainable Livelihoods Project [ GIF: 110kb ]