Samrong Tong Area Development Programme (ADP) assists more than 34,000 people from four communes (groups of villages) in Samrong Tong District, Kompong Speu Province, Cambodia.

Agriculture and income generation

Most families rely on agriculture, but only half own draught animals, so many have to hire oxen to plough their fields. Repeated droughts and floods result in food shortages.

World Vision forms groups to teach farmers modern agricultural techniques such as soil conservation and composting. It supports community rice banks where farmers store rice in times of excess to use during shortages.

Samrong Tong ADP forms animal husbandry groups and trains volunteers to provide basic veterinary services. Through World Vision-established cow banks, farmers borrow cows to use as draught animals and look after them until they have produced two calves. Pig banks lend female pigs so farmers can raise piglets to sell.

The ADP supports people involved in small businesses and teaches them business management skills. It organises training for young people to help them enter trades such as small engine repair, panel beating or welding.

Poor accessibility to the Chauk township exacerbates its isolation and poverty. However, the area has land for agriculture, and rivers and forests, which will improve household income when people know how to manage the natural resources. World Vision will develop plans to enable farmers to increase their crop and livestock income by teaching small-business skills, offering low-interest, small-business loans and helping people to access markets.

Water

Many villages flood in the rainy season and experience drought in the dry season. As a result people rely on often contaminated ponds or streams for drinking water, crops fail and animals experience poor health.

Samrong Tong ADP assesses the best method of providing water for each village. This may be building wells, providing water filters, constructing rainwater-harvesting systems for the roofs of houses, digging village ponds or establishing irrigation systems. Water user groups are set up to provide hygiene education and manage and maintain community water sources.

Health and nutrition

Few people in Samrong Tong understand preventative healthcare, and dengue fever, respiratory infections, tuberculosis, diarrhoea and skin and eye diseases are common. Many children and pregnant women suffer from malnutrition.

World Vision supports health centres and trains village health workers to respond to health problems. It teaches mothers to make nutritious porridge to improve their children’s health and facilitates clinics to monitor progress. The ADP provides materials to build more sanitary latrines.

Community leadership

World Vision staff work closely with village development committees, which have representatives chosen by the community. Committee members meet regularly to learn to manage community development work. As women are traditionally excluded from decision-making, World Vision encourages the involvement of women on the committees.

Education

Many children drop out of school after third or fourth grade because their parents need help with the family farm or business. School buildings are in poor condition and inadequate for the number of pupils, so some classes are held outside. Meagre salaries force teachers to seek additional work, which affects their performance and students’ educational achievement.

World Vision helps the communities to repair, build and equip preschools and primary schools and holds parents’ meetings to raise awareness about education. It provides children equipment necessary for school, supplies materials for government-run adult literacy courses and offers preschool teacher training.

Samrong Tong ADP runs after school clubs where children can paint, read books and learn about their rights.

Sustainable development

World Vision started Samrong Tong ADP in October 1999, and is working with the community to enhance ongoing development. Progress is evaluated every five years, and when the community reaches its goals World Vision will begin to reduce its support, allowing the community to direct its own development.

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